By far, the one mountain bike in iBIKE that gets the most attention is the fantastic Cannondale RZ 140 3. The combination of a sleek matte black handmade in USA frame & single-sided Lefty 140mm travel fork makes up a very slick package. 

The "long-legged XC bike" is fast becoming the choice for many customers who want confidence on the rougher terrain, in a light-weight rig that can be raced in any of the upcoming summer events. The RZ ticks the boxes with 140mm of front & rear wheel travel in a pedal-efficient suspension platform. 

We currently have a Medium in stock & can offer this model at a great price. Get in touch! 09 307 9400 or info@ibike.co.nz

Specifications:

• Frame RZ One Forty, Si BB30, 140mm
• Fork Lefty Max w/PBR, 140mm
• Rear Shock Rock Shox Monarch 3.3
• Rims DT Swiss X430
• Hubs Lefty SL, 32 hole front, Sun Dirty Flea, 32 hole rear
• Spokes DT Swiss Competition
• Tires Schwalbe Nobby Nic Folding w/Snakeskin, 26 x 2.25"
• Pedals Crank Brothers Candy
• Crank Truvativ Stylo 3.2, 44/32/22
• Bottom Bracket Truvativ GXP
• Chain KMC X9 CP 9-speed
• Rear Cogs SRAM PG-970, 11-34
• Front Derailleur SRAM X-7
• Rear Derailleur SRAM X-9
• Shifter SRAM X-9
• Handlebar FSA XC 281 660mm, 25mm riser
• Stem Cannondale HeadShok
• Headset HeadShok
• Brakes Avid Elixir R, 180/160mm 
• Brake Levers Avid Elixir R
• Saddle Fi'zi:k Aliante Delta XM, MG rails
• Seatpost FSA FR-270, 31.6mm

Introducing the new Garmin Edge 800.

via http://garmin.blogs.com/

The Eurobike show opened today in Friedrichshafen, Germany, drawing 40,000 visitors and 1,600 journalists. This is where the trends on two wheels are set on a worldwide stage. And we couldn’t be more proud to be there showcasing Edge 800 — the first touchscreen GPS-enabled bike computer. Our booth will have an ongoing stream of gear-loving press and cyclists who want to be among the first to get their hands on this fine device. Once they start to play, they’ll discover there’s a lot more to the Edge 800 than good looks. Providing navigation and performance monitoring, it's ideal for the "I wanna get lost but still find my way back" mountain bikers, the touring/commuting/recreational crowd and the performance cyclists, including the pros from Team Garmin. Congrats to Team Garmin's Tyler Farrar for winning the sprint finish at the Vuelta a España today!

Last Friday, I had a chance to take the 800 out for its maiden voyage. This was a lunchtime ride with four cycling coworkers who’ve been collectively logging lots of miles from Garmin HQ. Needless to say, I didn’t have a chance to touch, tap and admire the Edge during this ride. I have to work my tail off to not get dropped by this group, but that’s exactly the way I like to roll. Our group included Owen, our lead-out man who rides for a local cycling team. Matt, who’s strong as an ox and I believe could pull me up the Tourmalet in a headwind. Scott, who holds a steady line ideal to draft off and probably has more bike miles logged than the rest of us put together and squared. And then there’s Ryan, who, in the span of about a month, ran his first half marathon, got hitched, biked across Iowa, signed up for his first marathon and committed to his first MS150 ride. Ryan was also Edge 800-equipped for this ride. Here’s a peek at our short-but-sweet ride in Garmin Connect. 

The Edge 800 is coming to iBIKE!

To be one of the first in NZ with an Edge 800 - get in touch today to be placed on our pre-order list. 

(09) 307 9400 or info@ibike.co.nz

Norwegian champion to ride for revamped team in 2011

via www.cyclingnews.com

Thor Hushovd (Cervélo TestTeam) has confirmed that he will join Garmin-Transitions in 2011 and he suggested that he will be joined by a number of his current Cervélo teammates at the revamped squad.

The Norwegian champion is aiming to make a serious impact on the spring classics next season and the strength of Garmin-Transitions in this area was one of the main motivating factors for his decision.

"I have signed for Garmin, so this is my new team for next year," Hushovd told TV 2 Sport after stage 3 of the Vuelta a España. "I have signed because they are focusing very much on the classics next year, and that's a big goal for me.

"It's going to be a very good team and I get to bring many of the other riders I have at Cervélo with me. I think this is the best solution."

Last week Cyclingnews reported that Hushovd was strongly linked with a move to Garmin-Transitions for 2011, along with fellow Cervélo riders Heinrich Haussler, Andreas Klier and Roger Hammond.

It was subsequently confirmed that Cervélo TestTeam will cease to exist at the end of the 2010 season and that Cervélo will become bike sponsor to Garmin-Transitions from 2011 onwards.

iBIKE has just received a shipment of the fantastic Livestrong & Radio Shack Team Kits! 

Made in Italy, these kits are superb quality in both men's & women's sizes.

The Radio Shack kit features arm, knee, & full leg warmers made from a mid-weight nylon-elastane blend that fits warm, & snug thanks to articulated stitching on the knees & elbows. 

We have full kits in both The Shack & Livestrong colours, with options of 2 different bibs & shorts, team caps, shoe covers & gloves. 

Be quick! This stuff won't last long. 

Contact us on 09 307 9400 or info@ibike.co.nz 

Let's talk training wheels...we currently one set of Easton Vista's set up with Vittoria Rubino tyres, Kenda inner tubes, and your choice of Ultegra 12-27 or a 16-27 school-boy cassette for the young guns, ready to roll for $550.00.

Save your Zipp's for the race day!

Just one set at this special price so get in touch - info@ibike.co.nz or 09 307 9400

Does winter make you feel a little....deflated? 

iBIKE has a very special deal on training tyres & inner tubes: 2 for 1 on Maxxis, Serfas, Schwalbe & Kenda 700c tyres...PLUS 48mm stem 700c inner tubes - get 10 for only $50!!!

Come in & check out what's on the sale rack - be quick as they are going faster than you will!

We want you to be safe, and be seen this winter. 

Introducing a new product in our Team iBIKE branded range, a collaboration between iBIKE & BraveIt - the O2M cycling vest in limited edition Team iBIKE Orange. 

Features: 

• Hi-Vis orange with reflective panels front & rear.
• 3 rear open pockets, 1 rear zippered pocket, & 1 front zippered chest pocket (perfect for iPhones & essentials).
• Wind-Break front panel - keeps the cold out & the warm in. 
• Ltd. Ed. Team iBIKE retro graphics

We'd like to encourage all of our iBIKE team to stay safe on the road this winter, & we are offering this at a limited time for $99.00 down from the normal retail of $189.00

Be quick! They're already selling fast. 

Now in stock at iBIKE - the Power Balance bracelet. Come in & do the test for yourself to see the results. 

As worn by 25% of the Tour de France riders and SHAQUILLE O'NEAL!!!

“I don’t really do a lot of testimonials, but this really works! I came across Power Balance when someone did the test on me. That night, while playing for the Phoenix Suns, there were about three of my teammates with the product on and we won that game by 57 points! I kept feeling something when I wore the bracelet, so I kept wearing it. When I took it off I went back to normal. I’ve been wearing the bracelet ever since. I want to do everything to get the slightest advantage; wristbands, necklaces, t-shirts, band-aids, everything and anything we can get our hands on. I’m here to tell you it works!”

-SHAQUILLE O'NEAL

iBIKE are pleased to announce a new Summer Swim Series - 16 weekly ocean swim races over summer at Kohi beach. 

Thursday night swim racing at Kohimarama Beach every week over summer starting 4th November 2010.

Swim accurate surveyed courses over 4 distances each night...
500m, 1000m, 1500m or 2000m.

Entries open on 16 August and costs only $12.50 per race if entering the whole season.

Check out the great offers for entrants online at
www.summerswim.co.nz

We recently received an email from Leo, one of our many iBIKE VIP customers, with an update on his recent move to Oxford, UK. 

Sounds like he's getting in some great scenic rides - nice one Leo!

"...In the end I did not bring a bike with me, so first up on the to-do list after finding the lab and getting sorted with the basics of work was to find some two-wheeled transport.  Of all the places to be without a bike Oxford is not one of them… everyone rides everywhere!

It gets to the point that you are sometimes left wondering if you will actually be able to find anywhere to lock your bike when you get to your destination!  Often the only free spots are those that have signs on them specifically stating that your bike will be removed if you leave it locked there.

Somehow I convinced myself that a it would be sensible to get a single-speed cyclocross bike when I got here…  after cutting over half a kilo off it by putting some sensible tires on it it goes OK, although my legs really don’t like going around that fast on the flat.

 There are some great quiet roads around Oxford (I have actually seen deer in the road several times in the morning) and the drivers for the most part are much more courteous than Kiwis, but it is really flat!

There is a reasonable hill out at Brill (off to the East and a bit South) which has a nice windmill and pub on the top so I have been trying to head out there a couple of times a week.  I’ve also managed a couple of longer rides exploring (getting lost) out around the Cotswolds and one end of the Chilterns.  So far I have only been riding on my own… there is apparently a group that rides from a café owned by a former Italian pro on a Saturday morning and some regular mid-week TTs, but I have been so flat-out with work and finding somewhere to live I have not had much of a chance to look into either (although I’m not sure if the single speed is exactly ideal for either).  I also managed to completely miss the Chiltern Challenge sportive that ended in Oxford a couple of weeks ago, as I had to organize the flat.

In theory now the flat is sorted I will have a bit more time to do a bit more traveling/exploring/riding over the weekends (well, at least until Haylyn gets here).  Last weekend I ended up riding to Cambridge and back to see a couple of friends who are living there at the moment (rode out on Saturday, spent the night there, and headed back to Oxford on Sunday).  I managed to find a pretty good route (http://www.cycle-route.com/routes/Oxford_to_Cambridge-Cycle-Route-1587.html) that almost entirely avoided any main roads, and even managed to get a spot of sunburn!  The highlight was probably the road past Woburn Abby… the road runs through the grounds without any particular demarcation other than the cattle grates that keep the deer in… you just suddenly go from riding on fairly non-descript moderate size country roads hemmed in by hedges and trees to riding past the abby and on into a large expanse of open park-land with the grass coming up to the edge of the road and deer roaming around within maybe 50 m of the road.  If you had asked me prior to setting off if I had ever been there I would have said no, but I got half way through and realized that it was actually somewhere my dad and grandmother had taken my brothers and I when we were growing up (maybe nearly 20 years ago).

Anyway, I hope everything is going well at the shop and you aren’t too sleep-deprived from watching the Tour…

Regards,

Leo.

PS.  I am not really one for taking a lot of photos, but here are a couple from from the Oxford-Cambridge ride and a ride I did out to the Cotswolds."

The 29er has been one of the most discussed advances in mountain biking technology - possibly ever! 

The theory of larger diameter mountain bike wheels rolling faster over undulating trails was recently put to the test by North American Giant racer Carl Decker, piloting his Giant XtC 29er to a new course record at the Test of Endurance event in Blodgett, Oregon. Decker topped a field of 240 racers and broke the old course record—which was held by his Giant teammate Adam Craig—by about five minutes. Decker completed the tough 50-mile course in 3:38:37 and said the XtC 29er was a major factor in the win. 

“I’ve been riding that bike a bunch and really getting used to what it can do,” Decker said. “There’s a different technique to riding with the 29-inch wheels but I love how you can stand up and climb with way more traction. Also, I’m pretty good at riding fast on drifty, gravelly type surfaces, and this bike is ideal for that.”

iBIKE is on-board with the big wheeled revolution, stocking the acclaimed XTC 29-1. With a Shimano Deore/XT drivetrain, Avid Juicy brakes, & Fox Float QR15 through-axle fork, it's a complete cross-country package. 

iBIKE is very pleased to announce the addition of Cervelo to our portfolio of fantastic brands stocked in-store! 

We have just received some of NZ's latest shipment of stock - including the P2 frameset & complete bikes. 

From the www.cervelo.com website...

“The P2C packs a better punch than many bikes at twice the price” - Triathlete magazine

The most popular TT/Tri bike of the past three years among consumers, and a 2-time winner of Ironman Hawaii, the P2 hits that sweet spot of great performance in a very easy-to-use, no-nonsense, affordable package. Testride the P2 and you will realize that not all bikes are created equal.

UPGRADES FROM P1 - More aerodynamic frame - By exploiting the opportunities of carbon fiber, the headtube, downtube and rearwheel cutout are further improved. The seattube collar is also fully aerodynamically integrated.

Lighter frame - While the P1 already has a very competitive weight, the P2 shaves another 100g off.Lighter, more aero fork - The P2 comes standard with the 3T Funda PRO fork.Lighter, more aero seatpost - The P2 seatpost has a better thickness-to-chord ratio."

Framesets $4299.99 & complete bikes from $5599.99

Contact us on 09 307 9400 or info@ibike.co.nz 

Own the bike that took Alessandro Petacchi to the green jersey in the Tour de France, for a one-time only very special price!

From the www.wilier.it site...

"Identical to the Cento1 in form and technical characteristics, we have utilized the potential of carbon materials to reduce the weight of the Cento1 Superlight while ensuring the ride quality, efficiency and durability of a bike capable of taking both gold and silver medals at the World Championships. The Cento1 Superlight was ProTour tested by Team Lampre in 2009. It is constructed primarily of 46 Ton carbon fiber, while benefitting from the strategic implementation of its even stiffer cousin, Mitsubishi 60 Ton. Its unique and innovative carbon layup also makes it more impact-resistant than other ultra-lightweight materials, and we’ve even come up with a lighter, more svelte aluminum sleeve which is molded into the monocoque construction during the final carbon curing process. Research led us beyond materials all the way to paint. The final protective layer on a Cento1 Superlight is a specially formulated paint that provides the same elegant beauty that typifies Wilier Triestina bikes while reducing weight. The result of all of this R&D? All the performance you expect from a Cento1 - minus 130 grams!"

• 920g frame
• 360g fork
• Ltd Edition Lampre colours
• Oversize bottom bracket
• Integrated Seatpost

 RRP $10,499 for a very limited time at iBIKE $7499

Contact us on 09 307 9400 or info@ibike.co.nz

[From www.zipp.com]

We hope you’ve been enjoying the Tour de France as much as we have. Of course, it helps that we get to root for Astana, Cervélo TestTeam, and Team Saxo Bank. Our sponsored teams have all ridden superbly and currently hold the yellow, green, and white jerseys going into the final four stages.

Coming off the first rest day in Morzine, Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) and Alberto Contador (Astana) turned the race for the yellow jersey into a two-man affair by joining forces on the Col de la Madeleine during Stage 9. When the dust settled, Andy had taken over the yellow jersey with a 41” lead over Alberto and a 2’45” gap to third place Samuel Sanchez.

In the hectic Stage 12, Andy, Alberto, Alexander Vinokourov (Astana) and Thor Hushovd (Cervélo) were all in the thick of the action. Riding in the early breakaway on 404s Thor picked up enough sprint points to regain the green jersey that he’d lost the previous day. Vino also helped drive the break and nearly held on for the stage win. Instead, he had to settle for third place and the Most Aggressive Rider award after Alberto accelerated on the short, steep finishing climb to finish second on the stage and gain 10 seconds on Andy.

However, the Kazakh star didn’t wait long for a consolation prize. The next day, he attacked with perfect timing over the top of the Côte de Saint-Ferréol within the last 8 km. Riding Zipp 404s, he impressively held off the chasing peloton on the downhill finish into Revel.Then the race entered the Pyrénées and so began the final rounds of the fight for the yellow jersey. On Stage 14, Andy and Alberto nearly came to a standstill as they played cat-and-mouse on the final climb to Ax-3 Domaines. Apparently, it is possible to climb slowly on 202s if you really want to.

Stage 15, of course, won’t be forgotten for a long time. Andy had an untimely mechanical near the summit of the Port de Balès climb; Alberto continued over the top without him and now holds yellow jersey with an 8” advantage.

Should Alberto have waited? Or was it fair racing to keep the pressure on? Opinions vary but one thing is certain: Andy will need to pull out all the stops on tomorrow’s finish atop the imposing Col du Tourmalet and Saturday’s 51km time trial.

Meanwhile, Thor once again recaptured the green jersey from Alessandro Petacchi with an impressive 10^th place finish after the 4 major climbs of Stage 16. With two field sprints remaining in Bordeaux and Paris, the battle for the points competition is likely to come down to the wire.

Key results through 16 stages:

• Alberto Contador (Astana) – 1^st in General Classification, 1 day in the yellow jersey
• Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) – 2^nd in General Classification, 1^st in Young Rider standings, 1 stage win (202s), 6 days in the yellow jersey
• Thor Hushovd (Cervélo TestTeam) – 1^st in Points Classification, 1 stage win (303s), 9 days in the green jersey
• Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) – 1 stage win ( 1080 and Super-9, 6 days in the yellow jersey
• Alexander Vinokourov (Astana) – 1 stage win (404s), 9^th in General Classification, 1 Most Aggressive Rider award

Tres victorias de Francia para Contador!

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

Alberto Contador (Astana) has a few sips of bubbly to celebrate his third Tour victory.

After the biggest fight in his cycling life, Alberto Contador has won a third Tour de France.

"This victory cost me a lot," he said, "and I'm very moved. I suffered a lot, but that's what you have to do to win the Tour."

And when the fat lady was warming up her vocal chords, readying her wide-berthed-self to sing to the tune of the Spanish national anthem, with all his might and power, down came HTC-Columbia's Mark Cavendish on the Champs-Élysées, proving for a fifth time this race, he still is the world's best sprinter.

"Bernie Eisel and Tony Martin were with me at the finish. Bernie took me to the tunnel the last time and Tony did a really good job to drop me on the wheel of Petacchi in the last kilometre," said the once-in-a-lifetime speedster from the Isle of Man.

"Once I was on Petacchi's wheel, I knew I could win the stage," said the 25-year-old, who holds a future as bright as the star of Sirius. "We came out of that last corner and I just jumped... Every sprint in the Tour you try and save as much energy as possible, but the Champs-Élysées, you've got nothing to save your energy for - you just go balls-out to the line, and that's kind of what I did today."

But perhaps the best story of this Tour is the legacy it leaves.

Three weeks ago on July 3, so many automatically assumed a Contador victory was a done deal. Few thought 27-year-old 'Pistolero' would come so close to defeat at the hands of a boyish-faced, slightly naïve Luxembourger 18 months his junior - the man we know as Andy Schleck of Team Saxo Bank.

If this race has proven anything, it is that Contador, contrary to what most originally thought after his dominating ride 12 months ago, does not have a virtual stranglehold on La Grande Boucle for years to come, as much as his Astana team don't have a vice-like grip on his signature.

"Maybe I wasn't in the best shape...there were days I was not at my best. I won't say when the bad days were," Contador said, eternally reluctant to give anything away.

"Just before the Tour started, I was on antibiotics because I had a cold just before the Spanish championships, so this might have influenced my performance. Cycling is not like mathematics; there are moments when you are well prepared and everything runs smoothly, and there are times when you are well prepared and everything does not."

The era of Miguel Induráin, characterised by a monotonous level of superiority and a personality so likeable you wanted to hate him just for the sake of it, is unlikely to recur in the next decade. Not from Contador, anyway.

Yesterday in Pauillac, when the Spaniard wept uncontrollably like a child who'd lost his mother, it was because, as he admitted himself, the hardest day he'd ever ridden on the bike. The race of truth never lies, and over those 52 kilometres, had Contador's legs been two or three percent weaker, he may not have been standing where he was around 6 p.m. is Sunday, flanked by Schleck on his right and on the left, Russian Denis Menchov of Rabobank, who, for the first time, stepped on the Paris podium as quietly as he got there - with little fanfare and less of a trace.

...to read more visit www.cyclingnews.com

 

Contador bests Schleck, remains in yellow

Cancellara powers to stage win

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

Alberto Contador (Astana) releases three weeks of tension

Alberto Contador (Astana) had trouble holding back his tears on the podium when the Spaniard was once again awarded the yellow jersey he is going to take to Paris tomorrow. In what was a truly memorable battle against the general classification runner-up Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank), the Astana leader withstood the pressure and extended his overall lead over the Luxembourger to 39 seconds, sealing his third Tour de France victory.

"I'm very happy," Contador said as he came down from the podium. "It's an emotional moment. I think it's the first Tour to leave me so emotional. You can't imagine how much."

Contador's superiority not being as clear in the 2010 edition than previously, the 27-year-old Spaniard was relieved not to have failed. "There were a few days when I wasn't in my best form and that might be why I'm so emotional," he said. "Up to the last moment it was a very hard Tour."

Contador sealed his Tour victory with a 35th place on the stage, 5:43 down on stage winner Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank), where one had expected the yellow jersey wearer to do better taking into account his otherwise excellent capabilities against the clock. Perhaps fatigue and psychological pressure made Contador just a tad less competitive than in 2009 where he had won two stages, including the final time trial - which just proves the strain Schleck put on the multiple Grand Tour winner.

Polemics are sure to arise again over the final overall gap between Contador and Schleck: 39 seconds - exactly the same amount of time Schleck lost to Contador on stage 15 to Bagneres-de-Luchon when he suffered an untimely mechanical and lost the overall lead to the Spaniard that day. The Saxo Bank leader had difficulties fixing a dropped chain, while in front, Contador pressed on towards the finish.

But Schleck still had all the reason in the world to be satisfied with his performance, as he pulled off a major feat against the clock and is certain to be an even more dangerous threat to Contador next year. Using exactly the same Specialized time trial bike as his rival, the winner of the young rider competition created some surprise when he actually took a few seconds off Contador in the beginning of the course.

"I did the first 40km really, really fast," said Schleck. "I lost more in the final 10 kilometres than in the rest but I fought to the end."

The Luxembourger accepted his defeat, even more so because it did not come down to the mechanical. When asked about the 42 seconds he conceded to the Spaniard on the Tour's very first day, three weeks ago, Schleck said, "The prologue was terrible for me but it's part of the Tour de France. I haven't got any regrets. Anything can happen in the Tour. I know that. I'm satisfied and I'll be back next year to try and win," he said.

Cancellara claims another Tour TT

While all eyes were on Schleck and Contador in the final part of the 52km race against the clock, stage winner Fabian Cancellara waited on the hot seat for a long time until he was finally declared victorious. With a time of 1:00:56, Cancellara was 17 seconds faster than up-and-coming time trial talent Tony Martin (HTC-Columbia), also the runner-up to the Swiss time trial powerhouse in the prologue.

"I'm proud of my victory, as I spent a lot of energy on helping Andy get the yellow jersey," said Cancellara, the time trial world champion and Schleck's super-domestique throughout the race. "Now, we have to look to the future, to next year. To me, Andy did a great Tour de France, and in future, he will be winner one day. Tonight, we'll have a nice bottle of wine - we're just in the right region of France for this!"

Cancellara and Martin are certainly also candidates for great time trial battles in the future, as the pair again dominated the rest of the bunch, with third-placed Bert Grabsch (HTC-Columbia) 1:48 adrift.

The wind played an additional factor in the final time trial of the 2010 Tour de France. As the riders headed out of Bordeaux along the Garonne river delta to the Atlantic coast, the wind coming from the sea picked up as the afternoon unfolded, and the riders that had started early - such as Cancellara - had an advantage over later starters who had to fight stronger headwinds and crosswinds.

...to read more visit http://www.cyclingnews.com

Cavendish rockets to stage win in Bordeaux

Contador keeps his yellow jersey; Petacchi back in green

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) celebrates a stage win at the end of stage 18

Mark Cavendish of HTC-Columbia put his stamp on the sprint finishes of this year's Tour, with his fourth mass sprint victory in Bordeaux looking easier than ever. He had a five-bike length gap over Julian Dean (Garmin-Transitions) and Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-Farnese Vini). The Italian didn't win the stage but was able to reclaim the green jersey.

There were no changes in the overall rankings, as Alberto Contador (Astana) continues to lead by eight seconds over Saxo Bank's Andy Schleck, with Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) third.

In the battle for the green jersey, Petacchi had the upper hand. His third place finish gave him enough points to snatch it off the shoulders of Thor Hushovd (Cervelo TestTeam), who was went too early in the wind and finished a disappointing 13th.

"I only want to win, not matter by how much," Cavendish said. "When Petacchi went, I thought, that's it. But then it was pretty easy."

It was Cavendish's 14th career Tour stage win, all gathered within only three years. He has now outdistanced his mentor Erik Zabel, who himself won in Bordeaux in 1995 and 1997. "I have never seen anyone like Mark," said the old master, who gave his protégé several hugs after the stage.

Cavendish returned the compliment, saying Zabel "tells me exactly what I have to do and I trust him 100 percent. When he tells me the details of a sprint finale, it is as exact as a photograph to me."

"I have been sick the last few days with bronchitis. I had a fever last night and didn't know if I would even start today," Cavendish said. "But I wanted to do it for the team."

Sprinting for the green

The closing sprint was the only excitement on an otherwise dull day, and even it was pretty much of a foregone conclusion. Sky led the way into the final kilometre, hoping to set up Edvald Boasson Hagen, but the young Norwegian couldn't hold his own against the top sprinters.

Hushovd went into the finale far back in the field, and moved up to Cavendish' rear wheel before passing the Manx rider. But he lacked the final kick, and faded back out of the day's top 10.  The Manxman blasted to the front and no one was able to keep pace with him.

That opens up the green jersey race even more, with Petacchi leading only by 10 points over Hushovd, with Cavendish a mere 16 points down in third. The Champs Elysées will be the deciding factor in this year's points classification.

...to read more visit http://www.cyclingnews.com

Cavendish rockets to stage win in Bordeaux

Contador keeps his yellow jersey; Petacchi back in green

Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) celebrates a stage win at the end of stage 18

Mark Cavendish of HTC-Columbia put his stamp on the sprint finishes of this year's Tour, with his fourth mass sprint victory in Bordeaux looking easier than ever. He had a five-bike length gap over Julian Dean (Garmin-Transitions) and Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-Farnese Vini). The Italian didn't win the stage but was able to reclaim the green jersey.

There were no changes in the overall rankings, as Alberto Contador (Astana) continues to lead by eight seconds over Saxo Bank's Andy Schleck, with Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) third.

In the battle for the green jersey, Petacchi had the upper hand. His third place finish gave him enough points to snatch it off the shoulders of Thor Hushovd (Cervelo TestTeam), who was went too early in the wind and finished a disappointing 13th.

"I only want to win, not matter by how much," Cavendish said. "When Petacchi went, I thought, that's it. But then it was pretty easy."

It was Cavendish's 14th career Tour stage win, all gathered within only three years. He has now outdistanced his mentor Erik Zabel, who himself won in Bordeaux in 1995 and 1997. "I have never seen anyone like Mark," said the old master, who gave his protégé several hugs after the stage.

Cavendish returned the compliment, saying Zabel "tells me exactly what I have to do and I trust him 100 percent. When he tells me the details of a sprint finale, it is as exact as a photograph to me."

"I have been sick the last few days with bronchitis. I had a fever last night and didn't know if I would even start today," Cavendish said. "But I wanted to do it for the team."

Sprinting for the green

The closing sprint was the only excitement on an otherwise dull day, and even it was pretty much of a foregone conclusion. Sky led the way into the final kilometre, hoping to set up Edvald Boasson Hagen, but the young Norwegian couldn't hold his own against the top sprinters.

Hushovd went into the finale far back in the field, and moved up to Cavendish' rear wheel before passing the Manx rider. But he lacked the final kick, and faded back out of the day's top 10.  The Manxman blasted to the front and no one was able to keep pace with him.

That opens up the green jersey race even more, with Petacchi leading only by 10 points over Hushovd, with Cavendish a mere 16 points down in third. The Champs Elysées will be the deciding factor in this year's points classification.

Schleck takes stage win atop Col du Tourmalet

Contador preserves overall lead

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank)

Coppi and Bartali, Anquetil and Poulidor, Armstrong and Ullrich... now there's Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck. The talented duo today showed that they are head and shoulders ahead of the Tour de France peloton with a masterful display on the slopes of the col du Tourmalet. While Schleck took stage honours it was Contador who will remain in yellow, the likelihood of wearing it into Paris now even stronger.

Side-by-side, like the great rivals of yesteryear, Schleck and Contador battled over the final 10km of today's 174km parcours, having watched each other closely over the col de Marie-Blanque and col du Soulor, the first category climbs that punctuated proceedings on a misty day in the Pyrenees.

With the weather helping create a mood of forboding, all eyes were on the pair as they hit the final significant climb of this year's Tour de France. While there weren't the expected fireworks, there was a touching embrace as the two riders hit the finish line in the top two places - despite the talk of foul play after stage 15 there remains a mutual respect that should be the backbone of this sporting relationship for years to come.

For Contador, the spoils of staying with his rival up the Tourmalet's slopes is the maillot jaune while Schleck can finish on Sunday safe in the knowledge he may not have done enough to take the title - provided a significant performance in the time trial is not forthcoming - but he's got two stage wins and the potential to go all the way one day.

The Luxembourger isn't giving up on hopes of the win, however. "I'm going to try and do a fast time trial; I'm motivated and my form is better than before. You saw that today on the last climb with Alberto and myself," he said after the finish.

"I don't want to sound arrogant but the battle for the win is between me and Contador, with Sanchez and Menchov going for third.

"But I'm not going to give up until we get to Paris - last year I was four minutes down and this year it's eight seconds - anything is possible."

And of the battle between Samuel Sanchez - third place overall, 3:32 behind Contador - and Denis Menchov, who sits in fourth overall, 21 seconds behind Sanchez, it will come down to the time trial on Saturday.

After suffering a serious fall early in today's stage, the Spaniard fought back to narrowly open the gap to his Russian rival, although it's not likely the buffer is big enough given the disparity in ability between the two when it comes to the time trial. The race for the final podium place is far from over.

...to read more visit http://www.cyclingnews.com

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Fedrigo prevails in Pau

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

Frenchman best of nine-man break

Voeckler victorious in Bagneres-de-Luchon

[From www.cyclingnews.com]

Contador back in yellow following Schleck mechanical

Riblon stellar in Ax-3 Domaines

AG2R gets a stage win as Contador and Schleck call a truce

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

The Pyrenees were always billed as the main battleground of this year's Tour de France, and although Sunday's first of four stages in this mountain range decided nothing, it did confirm what many suspected: that the battle for the yellow jersey is between two riders, Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) and Alberto Contador (Astana).

The impression of this pair riding their own race, almost oblivious to everyone else, was underlined on the final climb to the finish in Ax-3 Domaines, at the end of a day that had seen Contador's Astana team ride as though it was their man, rather than Schelck, in the yellow jersey.

As Contador and Schleck cancelled each other out, it was a day that really belonged to Christophe Riblon (AG2R-La Mondiale), with the Frenchman claiming the host country's fourth stage win of this Tour after an incredible solo effort, made more incredible by his confession afterwards that he had almost abandoned the Tour the previous day.

Riblon's team director, Vincent Lavenu, claimed after the stage that his rider had been so exhausted that he was on the brink of quitting. "But they gave me a pep talk," said Riblon of his team, "and I felt I had to prove myself today. But I wouldn't have bet a single Euro on my chances of winning today."

As Riblon forged on ahead, having attacked from the day's big break, Schleck and Contador were so preoccupied with each other that they didn't seem to notice - or care - when Denis Menchov (Rabobank) and Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) rode away from them with 3km left.

Contador looked at Schleck. Schleck looked at Contador. And they came to a virtual halt, like two match sprinters performing a tactical track stand, using the 10% gradient rather than the banking of a velodrome.

Earlier on the climb, as they passed under the 5km banner, Contador - who had his team on the front virtually all day - sprung one of his characteristic attacks, surging up the inside of the nine-man group, but Schleck was equal to him, pouncing after his wheel, and glueing himself to it.

Schleck said later that he had decided earlier in the stage not to attack Contador, for fear of the Spaniard counter-attacking. "On a climb like that I cannot pass him," said Schleck. "I have to stay on his wheel.

"There was a little bit of mind games between us," he continued. "I made a mistake [on Friday's stage to Mende] to pass him, and he dropped me. But I learned from that."

Monday's second day in the Pyrenees, including the lengthy ascent of the Port de Bales, claimed Schleck, represents "a totally different scenario, on a totally different climb."

This one - as Schleck pointed out - ended in a truce: they finished together in the same time, 1.08 behind Riblon, and only 14 seconds behind Menchov and Sanchez. But Schleck claimed to have won the mind games.

"The situation Alberto's in now, it's not bad, but it's not great either," said Schleck. "He could not drop me today, and that gives me a lot of confidence.

"This is just a guess, but I guess he's not happy with how the stage went, because he did not gain time on me. His aim was to take yellow today, and [Alexandre] Vinokourov [Contador's Astana teammate] even announced it yesterday. It didn't work. He didn't gain a single second. I even think I was a little better than him today."

...to read more visit http://www.cyclingnews.com

Take two: Vinokourov revels in victory

Astana man solos in ahead of sprint

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

Twenty-four hours after being denied a stage win in Mende, Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) gained his revenge in Revel, thanks to the kind of late, opportunistic attack that has become his trademark.

Vinokourov's move at the summit of the Côte de Saint-Ferréol - a 1.9km category-three climb that ended 7.5km from the line - was perfectly timed, after Alessandro Ballan (BMC), Nicolas Roche (AG2R) and Damiano Cunego (Lampre) had been among the riders who tried to go clear.

After Vino had fled, Thomas Voeckler (Bbox Bouygues Telecom) chased, with the gap between the pair hovering between eight and ten seconds, and the peloton another five seconds back. As Voeckler cracked, however, and the gap to the leader stretched to thirty seconds, it became clear that the resurgent Vinokourov would claim his first Tour de France stage win since 2007, when he was expelled from the race after testing positive for blood doping.

By strange coincidence, the first of Vinokourov's two stage wins in that Tour - before they were expunged from the record books - also came on stage thirteen, in a time trial in nearby Albi.

'Revenge' seemed to be the apposite word at the finish, though it appeared to have nothing to do with any lingering sense of injustice felt by Vinokourov over his positive test and two-year ban - as seemed to be the case after his victory in April at Liège - Bastogne - Liège, which he described as "beautiful revenge" - and everything to do with the previous day's finish at the airfield in Mende.

Twenty-four hours earlier Vino had also been a late escapee after attacking his two breakaway companions. He seemed then to be heading for the stage win until two riders - Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) and his Astana team leader, Alberto Contador - bridged the gap, and left him to claim third.

Though that move saw Contador gain a potentially vital ten seconds in his fight with Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) for the yellow jersey, Vinokourov was said to be furious at being denied the stage win.

Which perhaps explains why, when he faced the media after winning in Revel, Vinokourov peppered each and every response with mentions of his "disappointment" and references to "what happened yesterday."

"It wasn't the plan to try today," said Vinokourov, "But I'm going very well, and, after Ballan and Luis Leon Sanchez [Caisse d'Epargne] attacked, I counter-attacked and then decided to press on and try to win.

"I knew I'd be protected by my team behind, and it was important for us [to win] after the disappointment of yesterday."

Contador greeted his teammate with a smile and a high five at the finish, suggesting there were no hard feelings - at least from the Spaniard. "You'd have to ask him," shrugged an impassive Vinokourov when asked about Contador's reaction. "But you could see how happy he was."

...to read more visit http://www.cyclingnews.com

Rodriguez powers to victory in Mende

Contador claws back time

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

Joaquin Rodriguez (Team Katusha) out-sprinted Alberto Contador (Astana) to take a thrilling victory in Mende at the end of stage 12 of the Tour de France. The Spanish duo escaped on the steep slopes of the Montée Laurent Jalabert in the finale to an enthralling day's racing that saw minor but potentially telling chinks exposed in the armour of yellow jersey Andy Schleck and his Saxo Bank team. The Luxembourg rider lost ten seconds to Contador, who laid down an important psychological marker ahead of the duo's expected showdown in the Pyrenees.

At the foot of the final climb the peloton trailed the four survivors of the day's early breakaway by 40 seconds, and the gap remained stable as Alexandre Vinokourov (Astana) dropped first Ryder Hesjedal (Garmin-Transitions) and then Andreas Kloden (RadioShack), before finally edging clear of Vasily Kyrienka (Caisse d'Epargne).

Accelerations from Jean Gadret (Ag2r) and Jurgen Van den Broeck (Omega Pharma – Lotto) made no dent in his lead, and it seemed inevitable that the Kazakh was about to win a stage in his first Tour appearance since returning a positive test for blood doping in 2007.

Two kilometres from the line, however, Rodriguez lit the blue touch paper behind with a tentative attack, and Contador responded with an explosive acceleration of his own. He immediately opened a gap of five bike lengths on Andy Schleck, who appeared caught off guard by the ferocity of the Spaniard's move. Worse was to follow for the Luxembourger. Having attempted to counter the break, Schleck found that he didn't have the legs to sustain such a pace. While Rodriguez managed to hold Contador's wheel, Schleck was forced to let Van den Broeck take up the chase.

For the first time in this year's Tour, Contador looked like the rider of 2009, and he set about making mincemeat of Vinokourov's advantage. With Rodriguez clinging on to his wheel for dear life, Contador made up almost forty seconds on his Astana teammate in little over a kilometre, and proceeded to blow straight past him. Behind, Schleck was struggling at 15 seconds, but was joined in his pursuit by Van den Broeck, Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Denis Menchov (Rabobank), and managed to limit his losses in the slightly downhill run to the line.

Up front, there was an air of inevitability about the finish. If Rodriguez was unable to contribute to pace-setting duties with Contador on the climb itself, in the final kilometre he was simply unwilling to do so, and he timed his sprint to perfection to come around the double Tour winner on the line. Vinokourov managed to stay within sight to grab third place on the stage, while Schleck crossed the line in 5th place, ten seconds behind his rival. The time gain itself may ultimately have been relatively minimal for Contador, but the manner in which it was yielded will surely weigh heavily on the pretender Schleck's mind ahead of the Pyrenees.

"A great victory"

Joaquin Rodriguez was thrilled to take his first Tour de France stage victory. "It was a great victory for me today. It was just a question of biding my time and then giving it a push and just avoid panicking, keeping focus," said Rodriguez at the finish.
"I was a bit worried, but in the end I managed it. It was nice for me to compete with the guys on GC and it gives me ambitions. The Pyrenees are coming, so we'll see if I'm able to do something up there."

...to read more visit http://www.cyclingnews.com

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Cavendish takes win number three

Renshaw kicked out of race

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

For most people, 13 is an unlucky number. Fabian Cancellara famously wears the dossard bearing that numeral upside down to avoid its potential misfortune. This afternoon in Bourg-lès-Valence however, it was a lucky number for Mark Cavendish as he took his 13th win and went into the history books - he has now won the most Tour de France stages of any current rider. The stage was overshadowed when Cavendish's teammate, Mark Renshaw, was thrown out of the race for head-butting Julian Dean (Garmin-Transitions)

However, by winning Cavendish has beaten the record held by his mentor, Erik Zabel, who previously held the record whilst a professional, with 12 stage wins in la grande boucle. Cavendish did it in the style to which we've become accustomed, the HTC-Columbia sprinter continuing to gain confidence in this year's race after a shaky start.

He had to go from a long way out to earn the victory though, courtesy of a coming together between Antipodean duo Mark Renshaw and Julian Dean in the final 500 metres. In a sign of his increasing sprinting maturity, Cavendish saw the opportunity to dash for double the distance he normally would - almost 400 metres - and backed himself to get the job done.

"Julian came and he was fighting with Mark at the finish and it left me boxed in - if he'd have pushed him across, as soon as I saw a gap I had to go," said Cavendish after the finish.

"Normally I go with 200 or 250 [metres] maximum and at 375 metres to go I saw a gap... it wasn't so much a sprint but a little breakaway, well, by my standards anyway! It was hard, actually... It was a really, really long way to the finish - I thought somebody would be on my wheel and come around, but they didn't," he explained.

And while both Dean and Renshaw are laid back guys off the bike, they gnashed their teeth with some mutual head butting preventing the pair heading too close to the barriers as the New Zealander came towards his Australian counterpart with Cavendish on the wheel.

"I don't know whether Tyler [Farrar] was with Julian, maybe he thought Tyler was with him... otherwise he was just trying to put Mark off," continued Cavendish, who had a back seat view of the incident before jetting off for the stage win. "Like I said, if Julian was [coming across intentionally] it shut the door and I could't go - maybe that's what he was doing: trying to shut the door for me."

After another day of toil from Bob Stapleton's men that reaped the ultimate reward - another stage win - Cavendish paid tribute to the riders who displayed an amazing amount of calmness under fire this afternoon and helped him to his record-breaking victory. "We can just see how good Mark is - he's fighting [for me] and he's an incredible guy, a great guy and I'm so lucky to have him and all the guys, actually," he said.

Yet Cavendish will be without his brother-in-arms for the remainder of the race. The judges saw the incident with Dean quite differently, and disqualified Renshaw from the race for head-butting Dean in the sprint. This leaves HTC-Columbia lacking an important weapon in the battle for the green jersey.

While there were no changes to the overall standings, the complexion of the points classification changed significantly, with Alessandro Petacchi reclaiming the maillot vert and Cavendish now trailing the Italian by a mere 29 points. Thor Hushovd drops to second in the battle for green. Surely this is a sub plot of this year's Tour that will be altered all the way to the final day in Paris.

...to read more visit http://www.cyclingnews.com

Paulinho gives Radioshack something to celebrate

Kiryienka denied in two-man sprint

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

Two French riders in a day-long break, Bastille Day and the Tour de France... it would have been an irresistible mix, except that Sergio Paulinho hadn't read the script. Team RadioShack's Portuguese domestique salvaged something from this year's Tour with victory in Gap this afternoon, dashing the dreams of the locals.

Fairy tales are called so for a reason - they don't happen often - and while a French winner today would have capped what has been thus far a fantastic Tour for local riders, with the exploits of Sylvain Chavanel and yesterday's stage victory for Sandy Casar, Cinderella's pumpkin was used to make soup rather than carry a local rider to a triumph in the shadow of the Alps.

Paulinho's daring in the final 10km of the stage deserved the victory it garnered however, the 30-year-old fighting for line honours with Caisse d'Epargne's Vasili Kiryienka and pipping the Belarusian at the post in what was a tight finish.

"I knew I had to attack to get away from the group, and I actually felt pretty good," Paulinho said after the stage. "I was just a little bit stronger than Kiryienka, and waited until the last moment to make my move."

The victory was an important boost in morale for the American team, whose leader Lance Armstrong had his dreams of an 8th Tour win all but dashed on the road to Morzine on Sunday.

"We did a lot of work for the team in the first week of the race. The last two stages were very important to the team, and we were quite strong. All we really wanted was to get a stage win," Paulinho said.

"In the team meeting this morning, we were told we needed to have someone in the breakaway. We also had to look out for the team classification, so when I saw a rider from Caisse d'Epargne go, that's when I decided I had to be there."

It was the second Grand Tour stage win for the man from Oeiras, whose last taste of glory in the season's biggest races came with victory in stage 10 of the 2006 Vuelta a España in Santillana del Mar whilst riding for a previous incarnation of the Astana outfit.

Now riding for Team RadioShack, the 2004 Athens Olympics road race silver medalist beat Kiryienka, Dries Devenyns (QuickStep), Pierre Rolland (Bbox Bouygues Telecom), Mario Aerts (Omega Pharma-Lotto) and Maxime Bouet (Ag2r-La Mondiale), who rounded out the minor placings respectively.

While there was no change in the general classification, the keen battle for the mountains classification saw Jérôme Pineau regain the ascendancy over countryman Anthony Charteau as Mark Cavendish took ninth at the finish to collect valuable points towards his ambitions of a first points classification win in Paris.

...to read more visit http://www.cyclingnews.com

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Casar claims stage win for France

Schleck in yellow after Evans cracks

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

This year's Tour de France has been a good vintage for French riders; two stage wins and the maillot jaune for Sylvain Chavanel have made it memorable for the local fans, who were treated to more home grown success with a stage win for Française des Jeux's Sandy Casar in Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne after another interesting day in the Alps.

The day belonged to the 31-year-old from Mantes-la-Jolie, whose home region is not far from where this race will finish in 12 days' time, and this afternoon in the Savoie department of the Rhône-Alpes region he took a win that will remain with him long after the conclusion of the 97th Tour de France in Paris on July 25.

Having spent much of the day in a high-powered break, Casar climbed the Col de la Colombière, Col de Aravis, Col des Saisies and the Col de la Madeleine ahead of the peloton - by day's end he had outsprinted fellow escapees Luis León Sanchez (Caisse d'Epargne) and Damiano Cunego (Lampre-Farnese Vini) to add another victory to the one he earned on stage 18 of the 2007 Tour de France in Angoulême.

And in a sign of what to expect over the course of the next 12 days, Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) earned himself the overall race lead following his mano-a-mano exploits with Alberto Contador (Astana) that began on the slopes of the Col de la Madeleine. There's no doubt that the touch paper which was ignited today will result in an explosion for the maillot jaune once the race hits the Pyrenees.

One fact became glaringly obvious, however: this year's Tour de France has become a battle between Schleck, winner of Sunday's stage to Morzine-Avoriaz, and reigning champion Alberto Contador. There's already two minutes between second-placed Contador and third-placed Samuel Sanchez, and each has the team to help them remain at the head of proceedings, as evidenced by Saxo Bank manager Bjarne Riis's post-stage comments.

"The plan was to put on huge pressure if Andy [Schleck] was feeling alright and thankfully, he was flying," said Riis. "Jens [Voigt], Chris [Anker Sørensen] and Jakob [Fuglsang] put in a world class effort and they actually started the massacre on our opponents.

"Jens was ready to work for Andy on the final part of the mountain and when he wasn't able to drop Contador today, he did the right thing and worked together with him. Mission accomplished today, but the Tour de France is far from being over," he said.

While the focus was undoubtedly on the plucky pair making all the big moves, other riders reaping the fruits of their labours were a determined Samuel Sanchez, the Euskaltel-Euskadi leader battling bravely to move into third overall behind the Saxo Bank and Astana captains, plus Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack), Denis Menchov (Rabobank), Robert Gesink (Rabobank) and Joaquin Rodriguez (Katusha), who all finished 2:06 behind the stage winner and now fill most of the top 10 spots on general classification.

Cadel Evans was one man just happy to make it to the finish, the erstwhile race leader's BMC Racing Team revealing he'd been riding with a fractured elbow. He lost the maillot jaune and suffered immensely on the Col de la Madeleine, eventually finishing more than eight minutes in arrears of the stage winner.

"I wasn't at the same level as I was on stage eight," said Evans, who will continue in the Tour despite the injury. "I had a big crash at the start of that day and I'm really paying for the consequences from that. I suffer on my bike every day but I do it with pleasure. The guys and the team have supported me and believed in me in this whole project. I'm so sorry to have let them all down."

...to read more visit http://www.cyclingnews.com

Advantage Schleck on first major mountain stage

Evans in yellow as crash ends Armstrong's hopes

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) bests Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) for the stage win in Morzine-Avoriaz

view thumbnail gallery

There were two defining images of the eighth stage of the Tour de France. One saw a battered, bruised and decidedly ragged Lance Armstrong, shepherded by his RadioShack teammate Jani Brajkovic, struggling across the line at Morzine-Avoriaz, almost 12 minutes down.

The other saw Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank) come of age with a stunning stage win. And it was this second image that should prove more significant in the coming days, since it suggested a shift in the balance of power, from the defending champion and favourite, Alberto Contador (Astana), towards last year's runner-up.

While the story of last year's Tour was of Schleck being unable to respond to Contador's repeated accelerations in the mountains, here it was the other way around.

An elite, 13-man group had just passed under the one-kilometre-to-go kite when the Luxembourg rider made his one, decisive move. Contador, whose Astana teammate Daniel Navarro had led almost the entire way up the 13.6km mountain, reacted quickly to his rival's attack, sprinting after his rear wheel, but he couldn't close the gap.

Indeed, the race was on, prompting Samuel Sanchez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) to pounce after Schleck. Approaching the line, with the Olympic champion having joined Schleck in front, it was Sanchez who led it out and looked as though he had it, but Schleck came around him, glancing across at his rival as he drew level, and then inching ahead to claim his first ever stage win in his third Tour.

"It was my first real victory of the season," said Schleck to TV interviewers after the race. "I took a lot of confidence out of my performance today. It puts me in a very good position right now, but I have to thank my team for being always around me, protecting me."

"I've got to get my head around the position that I'm in now," said Schleck, with a rest day ahead of him tomorrow. "There are still a lot of very hard days, but I am pretty relaxed for the moment. I've done my thing, and I hope I can do a great race and I hope I don't have a bad day."

Ten seconds behind, the group was led in by another of the day's aggressors, Robert Gesink (Rabobank), with Roman Kreuziger (Liquigas) fourth and Contador fifth. Sixth, though, was the day's other big winner, Cadel Evans (BMC), who survived an early fall to claim the yellow jersey.

Evans now leads the general classification ahead of Schleck by 20 seconds, with Contador up to third, 1:01 behind the Australian.

Many will expect the overall winner to come from this trio, meaning, inevitably, that one of the day's big stories was the end of Armstrong's challenge - indeed, the definitive end of the Armstrong era.

In the first real mountain stage of this year's race the seven-time winner, riding his final Tour, suffered three crashes, the second of them coming at a crucial stage, just before the climb of the Col de la Ramaz.

"I had a bad day," Armstrong told French TV within seconds of crossing the line. "I came around one roundabout and my pedal touched [the curb], then my front tyre rolled off.

"It's hard to recover from something like that," he said. "They started the Ramaz pretty hard and I was already suffering. Then it went from bad to worse. It was a bad day. Now I'm going to hang in there and enjoy my last Tour."

Schleck offered his sympathy to Armstrong. "Lance had a pretty bad crash - he crashed in front of me, and he could do nothing.

"I almost went down with him," Schleck said. "He came back but he was pretty beaten up. On the [Ramaz], he lost contact with our group. I expected him to be up there in the front.

"To be really honest, I'm a little sorry for him because he really wanted to be good in this last Tour. I think his morale is a little down now."

...for more visit http://www.cyclingnews.com

Chavanel races to victory in first mountains stage

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) won his second stage of this year's Tour de France at Station des Rousses on Saturday, and completed another double, taking over the yellow jersey, just as he also did in Spa at the end of stage 2.

Unlike in Spa, however, the history books will show no asterisk against Chavanel's name after this victory - which, again, he achieved alone.

If his win in Spa carried a hollow ring, with the race neutralised behind him following the crash-marred descent of the Stockeu, at the summit of Station des Rousses, there was only acclaim and admiration after a gutsy and perfectly-timed and executed counterattack.

From Chavanel himself, there was an exuberant, fist-pumping, medallion-kissing celebration along the finishing straight, while, behind him, there were skirmishes and a minor sort out of the overall contenders, but no significant winners or losers.

"We are on a roll on this incredible 2010 Tour," said Chavenel to Letour.com. "We started with the whole team, and it has gone perfectly. What we did in the stage to Spa was extremely rare. But to do it twice - oh, it's wonderful. Now we will try to win a third!"

...for more visit http://www.cylingnews.com

Cavendish sprints for second consecutive stage win

Cancellara retains his yellow jersey

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

Untouchable. Just 24 hours after taking his first win of this year's Tour de France, Mark Cavendish equalled the record of his sprinting mentor, Erik Zabel, and with a superb sprint in Gueugnon indicated that yesterday was no fluke for the Isle of Man's greatest cycling export, who now has 12 Tour de France stage victories to his name.

As fans witnessed the 'real' Cavendish over the final 200 metres of yesterday's run into Montargis, the Manxman's trademark sprint was again on show - albeit with even more panache, lustre and confidence - following another brilliant dose of team work from HTC-Columbia throughout the day's 227.5km parcours.

With a commanding winning margin of two bike lengths, Cavendish celebrated with contented pleasure after the finish, yesterday's drought breaker giving him the confidence needed to get back on track despite a less-than-ideal start to this year's Tour.

"It's incredible. The guys were perfect today," said Cavendish before heading to the podium. "Kanstantin [Siutsou] has had to do a lot of work the last couple of days so we gave him a rest. Bert Grabsch started riding [in pursuit of the break] then Maxime Monfort took over."

Cavendish explained that although the day's parcours may have appeared simple on paper, the reality was something else; with just a day before the event heads into the first of its mountainous stages, today was a 'climbing hors d'oeuvre', albeit with a sprint finish. Therefore team work was vital. "We did 2,000 feet of climbing and it was up and down all day," said Cavendish.

"My guys kept riding hard on the front because we knew there would be counter attacks, but we hoped there wouldn't be too many and there weren't too many," he added. "We also knew there would be crosswinds so all the big riders' teams were at the front and then we brought the group back."

After catching the breakaway the onus was on HTC-Columbia to fight off the contenders and again deliver its man to the line. The work of Mark Renshaw was again vital in achieving that, his performance in the final kilometre exceptional. Like yesterday, the Australian never panicked despite the attention of all the other lead-out men.

"We [HTC-Columbia] had four guys for the lead-out and we had to jump from behind one of the other teams who were leading it out. [Mark] Renshaw kept his cool and jumped off Lampre's train and took me to about 150 metres to go... it was great," said Cavendish.

As for a run on the green jersey, the battle for which Cavendish has garnered 70 points in just two days, the 24-year-old is maintaining a daily focus rather than one looking at Paris in two weeks' time.

"I'm just concentrating on wins for now," he said. "I didn't push hard enough on the cobbled day because I thought the group up ahead was much bigger. I lost a lot of points and didn't get much out of the next day so I'm quite far behind [in the points classification]; I'll just keep plugging away."

Today's trio takes the loose leash

...for more visit http://www.cyclingnews.com

Manx missile is back in action

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

The riders at HTC-Columbia often say that each victory they take belongs to the team and no better was this demonstrated than on Thursday's stage to Montargis. After the disappointment of Wednesday's sprint into Reims, Mark Cavendish took advantage of the perfect work done by his teammates to open his stage win account in this year's Tour.

The Manxman's celebrations said it all as he crossed the line after four and a half hours of racing: arms raised high, full of relief, sweet celebration and redemption. More than usual, Cavendish savoured the embraces of HTC-Columbia staff and Erik Zabel, the six-time green jersey winner and his close advisor. And Cav hugged them all before walking back to the finish with a proud swagger that said: 'I'm back'.

Despite the best efforts of rival teams to derail the HTC-Columbia train in the final kilometres in the Montargis suburbs, the likes of Thor Hushovd, Alessandro Petacchi, Tyler Farrar, Gerald Ciolek and Robbie McEwen couldn't get the better of Renshaw and Cavendish when it counted.

Renshaw elbowed Thor Hushovd out of the way and then dragged Cavendish clear as the finish line loomed. Cavendish did not hesitate as the sprint began and surged clear. This time, he had the power and speed to win. Germany's Gerald Ciolek (Milram) jumped at the same time as Cavendish but was beaten for speed and finished second. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) came from behind Cavendish to take third.

Tears on the podium, reminiscent of his win at last year's Milan-San Remo, were a sure sign of Cavendish hitting the release valve on a pressure cooker that had been building up inside him and HTC-Columbia for months. During the Tour's opening week, a number of factors - crashes, cobbles and circumstances, had conspired against the 24-year-old. But suddenly, all that was forgotten with a convincing return to victory.

"It means everything to win," Cavendish said. "It's incredibly emotional. All the pressure and emotion built up but it's finally over."

"It was hard this year. I always said everything was about the Tour de France. Thing didn't go our way yesterday. I let them down massively and it would have been easy for them to say 'He hasn't got it' like other people did. But they rode for me. Siutsou rode covered in bandages and Rogers was there at the finish and took it on too. Renshaw did an incredible job, fighting with Thor [Hushovd], with Tyler [Farrar] and with Oscar [Freire]. I knew he'd drop me off at the right place."

Thanks to his fifth place, Thor Hushovd maintained his lead in the points classification, while Fabian Cancellara will enjoy another day in the maillot jaune as Jerôme Pineau carries on in the polka dot jersey when the race heads to Gueugnon tomorrow. Geraint Thomas (Team Sky) kept the best young rider's white jersey, giving Britain an historic day, with two riders on the podium.

Cavendish is also back in the hunt for the points classification crown, lighting up the battle for the maillot vert when others had written him off. Hushovd is still in green with a total of 102 points but Cavendish has 50 points. And it's always a mistake to write off men of his calibre, as Hushovd knows.

"He's one of the best sprinters in the world. I'm happy with today's stage. I was able to get some more points in the hunt for the maillot vert," Hushovd said. "I was in good position for the final sprint. I used a lot of energy to get on the wheel of Renshaw, and Cavendish was able to win. It's always better to win the stage. I am not racing just for points, I want to win the stages too."

...to read more visit http://www.cyclingnews.com

Cancellara Remains in Yellow Jersey

[From www.cyclingnews.com]

Much has been said of the many 'veterans' riding this year's Tour de France and this afternoon in Reims the 'Aged Brigade' demonstrated they've got the legs to go with their years of experience at the season's biggest race. Fastest of them was Alessandro Petacchi, who turned back the clock and made the 'Youth Brigade' look slow with a sprint reminiscent of his prime.

The 36-year-old from La Spezia proved that his victory in a crash-marred first stage in Brussels, when most of the peloton was held up by incidents in the final kilometre, was no stroke of luck brought on by the lack of competition in the finale. A long, hard sprint against a full compliment of fast men in the middle of the Champagne region was evidence of this.

The champagne would be flowing for Petacchi following his second stage win in this year's Tour. Amongst those other experienced hands animating the finish of stage four were Danilo Hondo, Julian Dean and Robbie McEwen, the latter jumping out of the pack with Petacchi at the 200m mark to ambush Mark Cavendish, who was swamped when lead-out man Mark Renshaw swung off in the finale.

The 'Manx Missile' lacked the speed to which fans became accustomed during last year's Tour and while his HTC-Columbia teammates pulled together well - as they usually do - in the closing kilometres of today's stage, the myriad crashes and unsettled nature of this opening week may have taken their toll on Cavendish.

It's a sign of the open nature of this year's Tour de France that the experienced riders we saw contesting the finale today are in the running for stage wins. Consequently, the result in Reims blows the doors of the points competition wide open. Whilst Thor Hushovd held onto the green jersey courtesy of ninth place in the sprint, his lead remains a slim 10 points over Petacchi and 18 on McEwen.

"I was too early in the front in the sprint. I was on the wheel of Cavendish, but Petacchi started a long sprint, and I had to start my sprint again," said Hushovd. "He was faster today, so chapeau.

"I have good legs. I think I can do what I did last year and pick up some points in the medium mountain stages. Of course I want to win the green jersey again, but first I want to win another stage. The fight to the green jersey is just starting... I have to take it day by day and try to pick up points when I can," he added.

And while some observers may be writing off Cavendish's chances of taking green in Paris, the uncertain nature of this year's Tour thus far may yet have something special in store for the British rider. He demonstrated to doubters that he's capable of coming back from adversity in a less-than-subtle manner during the Tour de Romandie in May and he could yet again prove them wrong in the coming weeks, despite finishing outside the top 10 in Reims.

But today was all about Lampre-Farnese Vini's effort in delivering Petacchi to the right place at the right time. General classification contender Damiano Cunego may have struggled at the back of the peloton over the previous three days - a trend that continued today - but Petacchi, aided by Hondo, Grega Bole and Simon Spilak, turned back the clock to 2003, when he was virtually untouchable during the Tour's first week before he abandoned after securing four stage wins.

For overnight race leader Fabian Cancellara, his run in the maillot jaune will continue tomorrow, the Saxo Bank rider remaining fairly anonymous during today's stage as the efforts of yesterday were sure to have left his legs a little dead. He wasn't alone in that department, as the likes of Hushovd, Cavendish and co. all appeared to be suffering from the effects of a bruising 213 kilometres from Wanze to Arenberg.

This was confirmed by Hushovd after the finish, explaining, "I wanted to do better, but I missed the power in the sprint today. It's the fatigue of the efforts from the past three days catching up with me, especially from yesterday.

"Also, today was our first day in the heat, and I don't do really well in the heat, so I was suffering all day."

...for more visit http://www.cyclingnews.com

Hi there

Well it was a mixed bag of emotions today. I still finished 4th so I can't really complain too much, in fact I'm very happy to finish in that position! Again some bad luck on my behalf slowed me down.

I had a great swim but almost had to stop half way through with bad cramps in my calfs and I'm someone who never ever cramps! I was out with the front back so I was very happy about that and the group would stay together for much of the 185km ride except for one man named Andreas Raelert, he put in a scorching ride to record the fastest bike split of the day 4:20:35 and this is a course 5km longer than last year due to road works so quite amazing.

My calf's on the bike were like rocks and I struggled to loosen them up and ride with any power for the first 50km, that and my bad neck, I've been trying to get it treated over here but it flared up on the bike and there wasn't too much head moment going on on my behalf! Then at the 120km mark I started to get a slow leak in my front tire so that didn't impress me too much, I manged to stay with the group until the final 10km but then that was it.

Starting the run leg I felt terrible and was thinking I might not even finish in the top 10! but on the 2nd lap I started coming right and was back running my normal speed and was still only 3mins down on 2nd place at the 21km mark and then booommmmmm! I fell apart and struggled home in a very respectable 4th place at the European Ironman Champs. I can still hold my head high with the caliber of the field . Jo Lawn also had bad luck breaking a spoke on the cobbled section of the bike course and would spend some 20mins on the side of the road waiting for mechanical help, she still finished an incredible 6th place!

It's now rest time for 10 days and tomorrow I fly back home to New Zealand to see the family, something I'm really looking forward too!

Thanks again for your support, Kind Regards Cameron

Alessandro Petacchi Claims Stage 1

[from www.cyclingnews.com]

The Tour de France hasn't even reached the feared cobblestones and massive crashes have already taken down the majority of the peloton, but one rider who has the well-demonstrated ability to dodge the bullets, Alessandro Petacchi, claimed the stage victory.

The Lampre-Farnese Vini sprinter, who also successfully avoided a dramatic Tour de Suisse crash to win there last month, took his first Tour stage win since his record Grand Tour run of 2003

Petacchi bested HTC-Columbia's Mark Renshaw and Thor Hushovd (Cervelo TestTeam) after a crash stopped several of the top sprinters in the final bend, including Mark Cavendish (HTC-Columbia) and Oscar Freire (Rabobank).

"It was a special finale. In the last turn, everybody came in fast and nobody wanted to brake, so there was a crash and a lot of confusion. I did a very risky sprint. I attacked from far out, despite the head wind and the false-flat road," Petacchi said.

"I think I've done a great sprint. I'm not sure that Cavendish would have beat me if he'd been there at the end because I've really done a great sprint."

The first crash in the run-in to the sprint occurred in a turn with 2km to go, when Freire was taken out by a clash between Cavendish and Cervelo's Jeremy Hunt, disrupting the front of the peloton and creating chaos for the lead-out men.

Just down the road a much larger crash happened inside the final kilometre and stopped many of the general classification contenders including race leader Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) and HTC-Columbia's Michael Rogers. Since it happened inside the protected zone, all riders involved were awarded the same time as Petacchi, and Cancellara is able to hold onto the race lead for another day.

"It was really nervous today, and at the end it was just insane," Cancellara said. "At the end, I couldn't do anything. I was also in the chaos. I hit the ground pretty hard. ... Tomorrow I will feel the asphalt that I found at the end."

Defending champion Alberto Contador (Astana) also fell in the mass pile-up and was helped to the finish line by teammate Alexander Vinokourov, but was later seen smiling and signing autographs. He later stated he had a small bruise to his leg in the fall on Twitter.

Other favourites Lance Armstrong (Radioshack), Cadel Evans (BMC), the Schleck brothers Fränk and Andy (Saxo Bank) and, for once, Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Transitions) escaped injury and will look to the hilly stage two finish, which follows some of the route from Liège - Bastogne - Liège, to try and shake the nerves out of the peloton.

...For more visit http://www.cyclingnews.com

2010 Tour de France Preview

When the 97th Tour de France rolls out of Rotterdam on Saturday, Zipp will once again be heavily represented among the major contenders. Each of our three teams – Astana Cycling Team, Cervélo Test Team, and Team Saxo Bank – carry serious ambitions and high expectations. (image - SaxoBank loaded and ready to ride)

We're backing them up with the industry's broadest range of race-ready wheels: six options from the 202 climbing wheel to the Super-9 disc. Here's where we expect to see them shine.

The super light 202 will be the wheel of choice as the GC leaders trade blows in the Alps and Pyrenees. Winner of the 2007 and 2009 Tours, Astana's Alberto Contador is the clear pre-race favorite. But last year's 5th and 2nd place finishers, Frank and Andy Schleck (Saxo Bank), could have the firepower to make this their year. Cervélo's Carlos Sastre is coming off an injury but the 2008 Tour champion is always a rider to watch in the mountains.

Riding the rugged-yet-aero 303 wheelset, Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) put on a clinic at this spring's Paris-Roubaix while Thor Hushovd (Cervélo) placed second. Stage 3 of the Tour will traverse many of those same cobblestone roads, where Saxo Bank's Stuart O'Grady is another former winner. Riders will also select the lightweight 303 on moderate mountain stages, as Cervélo's Heinrich Haussler did for a memorable stage win in 2009. Unfortunately, he'll miss this year's Tour due to a knee injury. (image - Special Edition bikes for Astana's Contador and Vinokourov)

The versatile 404 is never a bad choice on any terrain for attacking all-arounders like Astana's Alexander Vinokourov or Saxo Bank's Nicki Sorensen, who won a stage last year on the 404. Its balance of aerodynamics and stable handling should prove especially useful in the strong crosswinds expected on Stage 1 from Rotterdam to Brussels. The 404 could also make an appearance on the punchy climbs of Stages 2 and 13.

Both sprinters and time trialists love the stiffness and aerodynamics of the 808. On flat stages, Cervélo's formidable crew of leadout riders will likely take advantage of its 81mm-deep profile as they support Hushovd's quest to defend the Green Jersey he won last year. Although the 808 is not quite as fast as the 1080 in the time trials, it will still be a popular choice among riders who are neither TT specialists nor GC hopefuls.

There's no faster combination than a 1080 front wheel and Super-9 disc for flat time trials like the Tour's Prologue and Stage 19. Cancellara's unparalleled track record makes him the man to beat in the "race of truth", although Contador's TT win at last year's Tour established him among the world's best. Meanwhile, the Schleck brothers have worked hard to improve in the discipline and Frank's time trial performance to win last month's Tour de Suisse surprised many.

Then again, the great thing about the Tour is that anything can happen. What are your predictions? Drop us a line on our Facebook page or @Zipp_USA on Twitter

Hi there

Well the count down has begun for the European Ironman Championships in Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday July 4th and yet again there is a Stella field of Professionals on the start line.

2007 World Ironman Champion Chris McCormick leads the charge along with 2x European Ironman Champion Timo Bracht of Germany, Former 70.3 Half Ironman world Champion and 3rd place at Hawaii last year Andreas Raelert, 6x Ironman Australia winner Patrick Vernay from New Caledonia and a whole host of other talented Europeans.

The temperatures have slowly risen over the last week, the water temp was 19c last week in the Langen Waldsee lake but after 10days of heat it hit 24c this morning and with a maximum of 35c expected on Saturday wetsuits may be banned.

Race coverage is on www.ironmanlive.com and they usually have great TV coverage of the race at certain stages of the bike and run. We start at 6:45am(4:45pm NZ time, 9:45pm USA Pacific time zone).

I'll let you know how everything goes straight after the race with my report as I usually can't sleep after these damm things!

Take care,

Cameron Brown

Le Tour de France opens this Saturday, July 3rd, (4:00am July 4th in NZ) and we at iBike are beside ourselves with anticipation! In order to bring the most exciting cycling event of the year to the masses (more exactly, to share it with our friends) we will be airing Tour highlights three times daily throughout the duration of the race. These will be shown on a large screen upstairs at iBike during morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea. Come by, grab a World's Best coffee and head upstairs for some of the World's Best race!

In order to spread our Tour de France fervor, we are offering some "Countdown-to-the-Tour" specials. Tour de France special edition Cateye computers are 20% off, all Oakley sunglasses are 20% off, and we are offering 50% off all Topeak lights.

Half price PowerBar Ride - Chocolate-Caramel Bar usually $5 NOW $2.50.

Hi All,

Giant Chairman King Liu has completed his June 14-19 "Green World on Wheels" cycling tour through The Netherlands. The founder of Giant rode more than 500 kilometres through eight different cities in order to gain firsthand experience of one the most cycling friendly nations in the world.

Green World on Wheels aims to spread the message of using bicycles to protect the environment and improve health.

To read about King's adventure click on the link below.

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/en-au/news/article/king.completes.green.world.on.wheels.tour/15080/

Regards

Scott Wilder

Hi there

Well we had a fantastic day yesterday and felt like rock stars flying out of Frankfurt in our own private jet! There was no packing the bike like you usually do on any commercial plane, we just rolled them up on the tarmac took the wheels off and we were away on our 90min flight down to the south of France. Once we arrived in Nice we unpacked and meet Chris's good friend Randy Work who we would train with for the next few days.

We were only in Nice for 30mins while we waited for Randy to fly in from London before we started our ride towards the Four Seasons. The ride up to the four season's included some stunning scenery and some big climbs, our first climb took us over the Col de I'Ecre at 1120m. After that we were in a Valley for a while before a few other long climbs took us to the resort and straight to diner!

This morning(Tuesday) started with a 4km swim in the hotel pool, the pool was an odd distance of 40m but it was quite nice to swim in, not too short like a 25m pool and not too long like a 50m! Just perfect. After that we headed out on the bike's again for a 90km loop around the Alps but the weather had turned to custard! after 30km the rain started pounding us and after the first Col of 1200m the temperature was dropping, I have never been so cold in my life and was shaking on the descents, so much so that I was nearly crashing! Alex who is our driver was at the last village and I had to hop in the car for the last 10km as I couldn't ride any more. As soon as I got back to the hotel I spent the next 10mins in the shower and then another 20mins in the bath to warm up again.

Well I better go and head out for my run and hopefully the weather will clear before tomorrows 6hr ride to Avignon. Will report on that tomorrow.

Catch you soon, Cameron

Hi there, 

All is well over here in Germany and I've settled in at the Oceania base camp(it's a house for the kiwi boys in the local Darmstard triathlon club). I have the house to my self as the other kiwi boys are in the US racing and are not due back until late June.

The weather has been a little unpredictable so far with a few days in the 30's and a few days of rain and low temps. I've been lucky having 2007 Ironman World Champion Chris Mccormack to train with as well as Lothar Leder the first man to go under 8hrs, both of them are here training for Ironman Germany so we are pushing each other every day.

On Monday Chris and I have been invited on a amazing trip by William Work. We will fly by private jet from Frankfurt to Nice, France and roll our bikes off the plane(no packing them!)and then ride from Nice to the wonderful four seasons hotel(below). On Tuesday Will has another awesome ride planned for us and then on Wednesday we will ride towards Avignon to the Hotel des Gorges and then head back to Frankfurt on Thursday by Jet. I'll send through some pictures from each day, hopefully we have some great weather.

Kind Regards,

Cameron

Our good friend Jo Lawn takes first in the first event of the TriGrandPrix Series, The Outrageous Half. The half-Ironman distance event was held at Leybourne Lake in the UK and featured a 40-strong field of professional athletes vying for the win. We are so pleased for her, and can't wait to see her success in the up-coming Zarautz Triathlon - another event in the TriGrandPrix Series. Way to go, Jo!

Our new kit is looking great and has flown off of the rack. We will be submitting a new order shortly, so if you'd like to ride in support of the LiveStrong Foundation and iBike come by, give us a call, or email with your order. We are also accepting orders for the standard Orange or Pink iBike kits. Just let us know what size and which color!

We are stocking up again on Wind Trainers as the weather turns wintery. We have several models in the shop (from your simple trainer with five resistance levels and remote shifter, to the more sophisticated RealTour, with which you can ride the Pyrenees from the comfort of your home) and they are all on special.