Category: cycling (Page 32 of 37)

Just ordered the book, Wheels of Change: How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom by Sue Macy.  Can’t miss with a title like that. 

The first part of the month was brutal. We had a record setting low of minus 15 February 11th and a record setting high of 80 degrees on February 16th. 

Less than a week and a 95 degree temperature swing.

There is a well deserved saying here:  If you don’t like the weather just stick around because it’ll change.

Today wasn’t 80, but nice for a bike ride, especially considering it’s February.  Light winds too, which when spring arrives officially, with the warmer temperatures it is also sure to bring wind. 

Nice to get outside and ride for a change instead of pedaling circles on the spinner.

Congratulations to Garmin – Cervelo’s Cameron Meyer on his win at the 2011 Tour Down Under.  It was nice to see a Garmin rider win, especially since 2010 was such a difficult year for them.  With the merging of Garmin – Transitions with the Cervelo team, the new team should be very strong and competitive in 2011.

Meyer took the ochre jersey as it were, the leader’s jersey, when he won the 4th Stage.  He held on to win the Tour Down Under by 2 seconds over Matt Goss with HTC-Highroad.

Meyer is Australian and appears to be quite the good find for Garmin – Cervelo.   He was last year’s Australian cyclist of the year after winning three world titles on the track and has been the national time-trial champion the past two years.

In other news, Matt White, Director Sportif for Garmin – Transitions and this year, Garmin – Cervelo, was fired after the team took the TDU championship.  The reason given for White being fired was that he broke team rules when he referred Garmin rider Trent Lowe to Dr. Luis Garcia del Moral in Spain.  Interestingly, he was the U.S. Postal team physician from 1999 – 2003.  White sent Lowe to Moral without the approval or knowledge of the Garmin medical staff.  Garmin has the strictest anti-doping rules of probably any professional cycling team and the physician referral rule is part of that. 

There may be more to the story, but for now that’s the story that’s being reported.  Kudos to Garmin – Cervelo for adhering to team rules and making what had to be a difficult decision in an apparent effort to ensure their riders race clean.

The Tour Down Under kicks off the 2011 UCI Pro Tour season.  Hoorah!

The Tour Down Under is also the last bike race outside the U.S. for legend, Lance Armstrong.  Because of that the race is getting more coverage than in previous years – although that was also true when Armstrong rode in the TDU in 2009 when he started his comeback.  At any rate, we the viewers and fans of professional cycling, are the beneficiaries of this increased interest.  Thank you Lance.

Although I don’t need any special reason to watch and enjoy professional bike racing, I have to tell you an even better reason to watch the TDU besides Armstrong’s swan song, will be the duel between sprinters, Mark Cavendish, HTC-High Road and former teammate, Andre Greipel, now riding with Omega Pharma-Lotto.  Greipel has won two Tours Down Under, in 2010 and 2008.  Both men are elite sprinters, past (competitive) teammates and for the first time, we will get to see them race against each other.

It has been reported in the past that there was no love lost between Greipel and Cavendish, but to add fuel to the fire, former Cavendish lead out man, Adam Hanson, is now riding for Greipel’s team.  The competition will be tense and the viewers will get to enjoy what no doubt will be fierce sprints between the two and their teams.

My personal hope is that Robbie McEwen, now with Team Radio Shack, will be able to take advantage of the personal rivalry between Cavendish and Greipel and win at least one stage.

Another bonus, it just gets better and better doesn’t it – is we get to see the new teams, and see which riders are on which teams (it changes year to year just like all other sports)  plus the new kits (uniforms) and bikes.

The fun starts tomorrow with the Cancer Council Classic, a 51 km criterium race.  Stage One of the Tour Down Under happens Tuesday, with the final day of racing next Sunday, January 23rd.

  *If you are new to following professional bike racing, you might find my Tour de France Primer helpful.  Different tour – but basically the same strategy.