Sun Shines in California

We have sun in California today!

After 3 days of cold, wind, rain, hail, and newspaper stuffing - the sun is shining at the Tour of California. This morning an article in the LA Times reported that Steve Coza claims teammate Dave Zabriskie, currently third overall, has been wrapping his feet in plastic wrap, then puts on his shoes and racing booties over the shoes. I bet they are all happy to see the sun shine!

I also want to know who the phantom rider was 'not' behind George Hincapie's leadout effort yesterday into Modesto - Cavendish where were you?

Today is true cow country riding, Merced to Clovis. Tomorrow I'll get to see the riders arrive into the wine country of Paso Robles.

Tour of Colorado

Tour of Colorado 2009 - Dates & Events Announced:
March 29 - Koppenburg Road Race, Boulder
May 16-17 - Excel Sports Boulder Omnium, Boulder
May 23-25 - Iron Horse Bicycle Classic, Durango
June 12-14 - Western Slope Omnium, Glenwood Springs
July 31- August 2 - Salida Omnium, Salida

Hammer TT Day at Colorado Springs 'drome

Hammer Time Trial - Velodrome in Colorado Springs, CO

Hammer TT day is planned for Saturday June 13th. For you BIC riders that means you have opportunity for timed races in the flying-200, 500, kilo, 2K, and 3K individual pursuit races. And there will be Olympic Sprints (3-man), team pursuit 4K (4-man), and probably the madison.

Specialized Time Trial Bikes at ToC

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2 of the Top 10 Finishers at the Tour of California Prologue rode Specialized bikes. #1 and #7

Cancellara's Bike (left) - what is the 'Stems to Bar Vertical' on that bike? (Andy?)
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and Tom Boonen riding the course.

if you want to see real style - also check out Slipstreams argyle Zipp Wheels.
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Another good Blog worth following this week for ToC coverage and photos is PodiumInsight

I just happened to be writing this post, taking advantage of the 'no feed due to weather in CA' and the Team just heard from Andy Pruitt on the frontline of the Tour of California - Andy worked on the bike fit for #1 and #7 above. Good Job - and congrats - a win!

Prologue - February 14: Sacramento (ITT), 3.9 km/2.4 mi

A who's who of sprint time trialists. With all the fuss over the Team Columbia's TT rides - they appeared to have done quite well.

1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Team Saxo Bank                4.32.9 (50.294 km/h)
2 Levi Leipheimer (USA) Astana                          0.01.2
3 David Zabriskie (USA) Garmin - Slipstream             0.02.7
4 Michael Rogers (Aus) Team Columbia - Highroad         0.02.8
5 Thor Hushovd (Nor) Cervélo TestTeam                   0.03.1
6 George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia - Highroad        0.03.4
7 Tom Boonen (Bel) Quick Step                                                     
8 Mark Renshaw (Aus) Team Columbia - Highroad           0.04.1
9 Svein Tuft (Can) Garmin - Slipstream                  0.04.2
10 Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana                         0.04.3
11 Mark Cavendish (GBr) Team Columbia - Highroad        0.04.9

" . . . For the second year-in-a-row Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) has come to the Tour of California and opened up with a prologue win, covering the short but technical (that means it had 4 corners) 3.9 km course around California's capital at just over 51.62 kph (32.1 mph) (cyclingnews.com).

“It was like being in the Tour de France out there on the course today,” said Cancellara. “The last time I raced in front of so many people was in London last year."

All well known names we could have guessed at; I hear Svein Tuft is a character, like the kid from "Into The Wild" - someone to watch.

The Kid can Ride a Bike

just as Len Pettyjohn reported yesterday . . . the news is out - Phinney does it again.

Phinney breaks US kilometer time trial record

Phinney follows pursuit record with record kilo time

16 hours ago

PARIS (AFP) — Teenaged track cycling tyro Taylor Phinney added lustre to his new American record in the individual pursuit by winning the four-lap kilometre event at the World Cup event in Copenhagen Saturday.

Phinney, the son of former road professional Davis Phinney and former women's world pursuit champion Connie Carpenter, is going from strength to strength one month ahead of the world championships in Poland.

On Friday, Phinney set a new national record of 4min 15.223sec in qualifying for the 4km pursuit.

A day later the 18-year-old set another national record by winning the kilometre ahead of respected Frenchman Michael d'Almeida in a time of 1:01.641.

Phinney clocked a winning time of 1:01.641 to win the gold medal and eclipse the old US national record of 1:01.825 set by Erin Hartwell in Colorado Springs in 1995.

D'Almeida, a silver medal winner in the non-Olympic event at last year's world championships in Manchester, finished second in 1:02.071.

Hopefully Neal Henderson can give us a more detailed report of Taylor's success when all the numbers are in - now there is a watts graph we'd all like to see.
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Local Boy Does Good

For anyone interested in some great local news . . .

Phinney shatters US pursuit record (scroll down)

. . . US National Team member Taylor Phinney shattered the American national record in the men's 4,000m individual pursuit on Friday at the UCI Track World Cup in Denmark. Phinney, clocked a time of 4:15.223 in the qualifying round, surpassing the previous mark of 4:19.800 set by Mariano Friedick in 1996. (from cyclingnews.com 02/14/09)

The Blue Team?

In honor of our 24 degree cold weather day, Valentine's Day, and the Big Race happening today in California - I give you The Blue Team . . . in pink?

In the days of the "Vet"


Back when Masters were called Vets (Veterans) [those are not the Dolomites - those are the Flatirons]

The year was 1984, when the current Boulder Masters Cycling Team first evolved from its origins as part of the "Ride em Cowboys" racing team (there has to be a good story there.) to REC's 1/2 team and their new sponsor Univega and Pedal Pushers Cyclery. The team went on to change jersey color that year to White (good decision). How they started wearing our true blue color and gained other sponsorship will be another story, someday.

In the photo are 3 of the 4 original team members of what is now BMCT. Can anyone name the original 3? Those 3 men still ride with the Blue Team today. Recognize anyone else? (click on the image for a larger view).

Thank you Brad Wallace for a peek back in time (oops, did I just give away 1 of the 3?!) and Thank you to whomever decided to change the team color to Blue.

Photos from the Track

This is what it is like to stand by and watch a BMCT rider ride the track. Fast.


This it what it must feel like to ride the track.


Although they appear to be standing still and not moving very fast.

(Click on the image for a larger view) See more pictures of BMCT on the Velodrome on 02/05/09 at this link David Russel Phtography Check back in coming weeks he will be adding many more images.

The Andy is with the Other Andy

And both send a greeting of Hi to BMCT from Sacramento, California where they are currently in preparation for the Tour of California which begins tomorrow February 14.

And by The Andy - I mean our Andy - Andy Pruitt. We miss him and wish him well.

And good luck to the other Andy too.

(The photo of The Andy, Andy Schleck, and Bjarne Riis is from cyclingnews.com and was taken by Shane Stokes)

Anyone Going to the Tour of California 2009?

Amgen Tour of California: Feb 14-22, 2009
9-days, 750-mile course from Sacramento to Escondido
Tour of California Website

WHERE will they be racing in 2009
Sat 02.14.09 Prologue: Sacramento
Sun 02.15.09 Davis to Santa Rosa
Mon 02.16.09 Sausalito to Santa Cruz
Tues 02.17.09 San José to Modesto
Wed 02.18.09 Merced to Clovis
Thr 02.19.09 Visalia to Paso Robles
Fri 02.20.09 Solvang (ITT)
Sat 02.21.09 Santa Clarita to Pasadena
Sun 02.22.09 Rancho Bernardo to Escondido

WHO will be Racing in 2009
17 teams represent the strongest field that they have had at the Amgen Tour of California.
2009 Amgen Tour of California roster
Among the 17 Teams will be:
- 2 TDF Champions
- 11 World Champions
- 17 TDF Stage Winners
- 7 Olympic Medalists
- 26 Olympians
- 25 National Champions
- 7 Current National Champions
- 8 Major American Race Champions

Just because I like naming names . . . Armstrong, Leipheimer, Horner, Popovych, Sastre, Hushovd, Rollin, Jacque-Maynes, Hincapie, Cavendish, Barry, Rogers, Zajicek, Vande Velde, Danielson, Haedo, Lowe, Farrar, Landis, Pena, Hamilton, McCartney, Zabriskie, and my personal favorites - Boonen!, Andy Schleck!, Frank Schleck, Cancellara!, O'Grady, Basso, and Jens Voigt! (No Contador on the Astana roster, and no David Millar with Slipstream)

View a good stage cheat sheet here
See who is riding on each team here

You can see them all race against each other here in the United States! Is anyone else going? I will be there for 3 stages; at the Finish in Paso Robles, hanging around for the day in Solvang at the ITT, and either on the climb at Angeles Crest Hwy for the Stage from Santa Clarita-Pasadena, or in Escondido depending on the weather. I will send reports or a summary of the fun. If anyone will be there - let me know.

If you can’t make it out to California you can watch it live online or on TV, don't miss it!

WATCH IT Live online!
Tour Tracker
Undoubtedly the most fun you can have online ~ last year it allowed you to pick your riders and track them along the course. Ignore the obnoxious chat room and everything else is great.

Or on the good 'ol Tele
Versus - TV Coverage and Recaps
Interested in watching the Versus TV coverage – view the TV Schedule for ToC

Anyone want to make any predictions on who will win? (add a comment)

Going Round and Round

Velodrome racing started in the 1800’s. Madison Square Garden was actually originally built as a track racing venue. Track racing has varied in popularity over the years but is here to stay in Boulder, CO.

Paul Mack submitted this photo from 1901-02 (he didn't take it).


If you build it they will come (video)




And they do come: every Thursday from 5:00-6:00pm the BMCT practices as a team on the Velodrome at Boulder Indoor Cycling.

Quick Facts:

• Construction: Wood
• Overall Length: 142 meters
• Maximum Banking (corners): 45 degrees
• Minimum Banking (straights): 16 degrees
• Current Lap Record: 8.001 seconds (Colby Pierce)

Wikipedia offers this technical explanation of riding a Velodrome:

• Banking in the turns, called superelevation, allows riders to keep their bikes relatively perpendicular to the surface while riding at speed. When traveling through the turns at racing speed, which may exceed 60 kmh (about 37 mph), the banking attempts to match the natural lean of a bicycle moving through that curve. Therefore, the centripetal acceleration of the combined inertia of bicycle and rider moving in the curved path balances the tangential acceleration pulling them outwards. There is no centrifugal force 'trying' to tilt the bicycle outward, a net normal force acting on the tires through the riding surface.

Or you could just explain it as FUN.

Recent news of Lance Armstrong possibly considering an attempt at breaking the hour record Hour record? Armstrong tests bikes at LA's ADT velodrome

Pacelines – an education

(for the Women on the Team)
In lieu of our delayed Spring Training Camp

A collection of videos and articles on riding a Team Time Trial:

Paceline Perfection of the Tour of California 2006
Watch the UTube Video (watch it several times there is a lot going on)
Toyota United is featured!



2008 Tour de Georgia Team Time Trial Astana
Watch the UTube Video - a little downhill a little uphill

Article in VeloNews.com, By Michael Barry
Michael Barry's Diary: A team effort - from the Vuelta 2006

Article in VeloNews.com, By Ben Delaney
David Millar Talks TTT - practice makes perfect for TTT

Boulder Masters Cycling Team's – Rabbit Mountain Time Trial website
Check out the course map, also click on "see course" for a video of the course

A TTT Video for the Guys on the Team – OH the memories!
Watch the entire UTube video to see some familiar faces
1987 TDF Team Time Trial
(styling - pre aero bars)

And then after you learn it all - watch this video and get psyched!
TdF Team Time Trial Part Deux
(things have changed since 1987, but the effort hasn't)

Long Steady OD/EN Rides

Its February and the weather in Boulder is Great!

Has everyone discovered these websites? There are online mapping tools which can be helpful in mapping out those steady winter/spring bike rides:

Map My Ride and VeloRoutes.org

You may search for an existing route or create a new route. VeloRoutes.org will even track altitude and estimate time by avg mph. These can be helpful tools pre-ride or in mapping a new ride. Once you've ridden it you'll have all the data you need.

Some other mapping sites to map out your new bike route:

Bike Maps:
Memory-map.com
ClimbByBike.com
Bikely.com
EveryTrail.com
General Maps:
ViaMichelin.com
Local Grades:
UCAR- Steepest grades near Boulder