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The Mailbag is a regular department on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have read in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside Communications, Inc.The anti-roping road is long and hard
Editor:
Recent letters have criticized Dick Pound's nomination for the presidency of the Court of Arbitration for Sport as well as the exclusion of teams with recent doping infractions from the Giro. While these events are indeed distressing, the larger issue is the problem of doping and the need to do something to correct the problem.
Changing the behavior of dopers has never been easy, especially when the rewards for doping are high. There has been an element of acceptance or complicity of doping at the elite level of most sports, and until recently most dopers got away with it.
Unless firm sanctions are in place, doping will continue to be commonplace. Unfortunately, it takes more than just telling people to do the right thing and not dope. It is going to take painful consequences, which we are now seeing.
Doug Urness
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Write to CAS to oppose Pound
Editor:
As a Canadian, I am embarrassed that Mr. Pound shares the same citizenship as I. That the CAS would even consider him as a leader their organization is beyond belief. A man who is so willing to ignore all semblance of due process in his messianic zeal to convict those who he considers guilty has no place in a quasi-judicial process (legal training notwithstanding).
I encourage all who have concerns about his credibility to write directly to the CAS and express their concerns. Writing to VeloNews will have no impact. Only by providing direct feedback can you really have an impact.
Stephen Roedd
Richards Landing, Ontario, Canada
Giro’s pickiness might make for better racing
Editor:
Perhaps it is a good development for fans to see the Giro d’Italia exclude top team(s) that don't target the race as a goal for the season. It doesn't make for an interesting Giro to see riders on a training ride during the Giro, preparing for the Tour de France. The Giro deserves more than that as an epic stage race. Come to race or don't come.
Peter Brueggeman
La Jolla, California
How about boycotting ASO events?
Editor:
So what would happen if the ProTour folks simply boycotted the ASO events unless they were all invited? Maybe it's time for them to drop the bomb. At this point, what do they have to lose?
Steve Rempel
Los Altos, California
About Sheldon Brown
Editor:
Reading Mr. Zinn's obituary on Sheldon Brown, followed immediately by his description of Active Spokes was truly poignant. Okay, so Active Spokes are a serious thing; but I hope you know Sheldon's POWerwheels could kick Active Spoke wheels any day of the week. And then there are the other ShelBroCo products that came out annually, at the beginning of each April.
I, for one, will be taking my fixed gear out for a ride this weekend.
Thank you, Sheldon.
Eric Dittmar
Fremont, California
He will be missed
Editor:
I am sorry to hear about Sheldon Brown's passing. While I never met him personally, I have often relied on his advice and web sites to help me fix my customers' bikes. I hope the riding is all downhill and car-free in paradise. Sheldon, you will be missed.
John A. Hoeven
Milano, Italy
Sheldon enriched our sport
Editor:
The economy’s slow, the election’s depressing, the Giro’s a joke, every cycling event pivots on who is or isn’t doping, the war in Iraq continues, and Johnny still can’t read. I know my priorities are straight, though, ‘cause none of these things sadden me as much as the news of Sheldon Brown’s passing.
Our “relationship” consisted of exactly two emails, but his encyclopedic knowledge and willingness to share it via his site cause me to miss him nonetheless. I send his family my deepest sympathies. He never won the Tour de France, but he left our sport richer than he found it.
I have a feeling my next few rides will be spent worrying less about my heart rate and more about enjoying that wonderful conveyance that binds all cyclists as a family.
Rest in peace, Mr. Brown.
Jasper Mason
Houston, Texas
A great mechanic and a top-notch human being
Editor:
I think that it's time for the cycling community to take a moment away from petty issues like doping, the exclusion of teams from the Giro, and the like so that we may mourn the loss of one of the most luminous and heroic figures in cycling, Sheldon Brown.
A mechanic, collector, family man and all around lover of all things two wheeled and self-propelled, Sheldon represented what it is to be a cyclist more than any million-dollar pro ever will. His endless knowledge of all things related to the bicycle and his limitless willingness to share that knowledge means that every one of us, directly or indirectly, have probably learned something about cycling from him.
The loss of Sheldon has left a hole in the cycling world that may never be filled, so my hope is that his website may continue to be maintained so that people who are not familiar with Sheldon may gain a glimpse into an extraordinary life, and so that people may continue to learn from him, not just about the bicycles, but about what it is to be a decent human being.
It's not all sad, though. it's good to know that for Sheldon, wherever he is, all the rides will be epic. And remember, AASHTA (As Always, Sheldon Has The Answer.)
Cody Stephenson
Durango, Colorado
The Mailbag is a regular department on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have read in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to webletters@insideinc.com. Please include your full name, hometown and state or nation. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. Writers are encouraged to limit their submissions to one letter per month. The letters published here contain the opinions of the submitting authors and should not be viewed as reflecting the opinions, policies or positions of VeloNews.com, VeloNews magazine or our parent company, Inside Communications, Inc.
Beleaguered climbing specialist Michael Rasmussen could be slapped with a two-year ban if the UCI has its way.
Cycling’s governing body announced Friday it is asking Monaco’s cycling federation to open disciplinary proceedings against the Danish rider, who holds his racing license in the principality.
Rasmussen, 33, has been the center of a media firestorm since last year’s Tour de France when it was revealed that he missed out-of-competition tests in a lead-up to the 2007 edition.
[nid:71863]His Rabobank team removed him from the race just hours after he won Stage 16 and all but securing overall victory with just four days left to the Tour’s conclusion in Paris.
In a press release issued Friday, the UCI claims that Rasmussen purposely evaded out-of-competition controls and is pressing for a two-year racing ban.
“Michael Rasmussen has publicly acknowledged what the UCI believes to be violation of its whereabouts requirements under Rule 15.4 in the period leading up to the Tour de France 2007,” the communiqué read. “After an extensive and careful investigation of the circumstances, the UCI also believes that Michael Rasmussen violated Rules 15.3 and 15.5 by evading controls in a premeditated manner and preventing controls being undertaken.”
UCI rules require riders to provide accurate information about their whereabouts and to be available to anti-doping controls on a 24-hour basis. Missing out-of-competition tests can result in a two-year racing ban.
Rasmussen’s whereabouts in the weeks ahead of the 2007 Tour have been rife with inconsistencies.
Rasmussen first insisted he was training in Mexico, but later admitted that he was on training camps in the Alps and Pyrenees with the full knowledge of Rabobank management.
“First of all, I would like to clearly state that I was not in Mexico in June. I have therefore misinformed both the UCI and the public,” Rasmussen said during a press conference in November. “It is however important for me to stress that at no point did I lie to the team Rabobank.”
Instead of training in Mexico as he previously stated, Rasmussen admitted he was in Italy between June 4-19. He also confirmed that he met Italian TV journalist Davide Cassani, an admission that helped auger his hasty removal from the Tour last July.
From June 20-23, he traveled to the Alps and was in the Pyrenees from June 25 with Rabobank teammate Denis Menchov and a team soigneur. He also said he met personally with team sport director Erik Breukink on June 7 in Bergamo, Italy.
For the UCI, those admissions help bolster their case that Rasmussen should be leveled a racing ban.
Rasmussen, meanwhile, is reportedly preparing a lawsuit against his Rabobank team. He currently does not have a contract with a team to race in 2008.
Organizers of the world's biggest bike race, the Tour de France, are poised to take over the three-week Vuelta a España, according to Spanish press reports on Friday.
“Rumors of an agreement between ASO (Amaury Sports Organisation) and Unipublic have been circling for about a year," the Spanish sports daily Marca reported Friday.
The paper said that talks between ASO, the Tour's parent company, which also own a host of other major sporting events, and UniPublic, which runs the Vuelta, "have been ongoing for several weeks."
The Vuelta, scheduled in September, is considered to be the smallest and least prestigious of cycling's trio of three-week races, but is often viewed as the favorite of many riders, fans and journalists because of its relaxed atmosphere and shorter stages.
The Vuelta's decline has gathered momentum in recent years due to a string of doping scandals involving former winners. Most recently, Roberto Heras won the race for a record fourth time in 2005, but then tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin).
As a number of scandals elsewhere continue to leave the sport fighting for its credibility, fans in Spain have largely turned off and tuned out.
Tour de France chief Christian Prudhomme, who attended the 2008 Vuelta, was asked to confirm the rumors of a possible takeover but refused to make any comment.
Corruption, scandal, missing prize money, beauty, bravery, tragedy and of course, triumph have all been elements of past Tours de Langkawi, still one of the biggest races outside Europe. Though without doubt, “survival” has been a constant theme in each of those 12 editions, and survival is what brings us to Lucky #13 in the Chinese Year of the Rat.
What began in 1996 as an audacious plan to construct and host a world-class cycling event in a non-traditional, mostly Muslim environment had much to do with the current Prime Minister's predecessor, Mahathir Mohamad. It was he, later in collaboration with local businessman Datuk Wan Lokman and his company First Cartel, that put Asia on the cycling map, bringing cycling superpower Mapei and the names of Vinokourov, Landis, Bettini and Voigt to the tropics.
With a course not overly difficult and weather considerably better than the bleak European winter, the Tour de Langkawi blossomed. As the event quickly grew to become the fourth richest race in the world of cycling, it appeared the LTdL had cemented its name as the premier early season race for some of the world's best and not merely as a showcase for Malaysia and its gregarious people.
But money is a dangerous thing, not least in cycling circles.
[nid:71855]A group of Britons who had been contracted to run the race in cooperation with First Cartel fell out and turned on each other. Talk of certain sponsors not coughing up the cash, television crews not being paid, and among numerous others, 2005 overall winner Ryan Cox (who tragically died as a result of a ruptured artery last August) desperately trying to cash in his winnings inevitably led to a tsunami of bad publicity that almost killed the race.
It would have been a sad end for a very important event in Asian cycling, because without races like Langkawi and China's high altitude Tour of Qinghai Lake, it's too large a leap for Asian riders to go from national category events to the ProTour. Chinese rider Fuyu Li was the first to make that jump when he signed with Discovery Channel for the 2007 season, but their disbanding has seen Li return to his former team, Discovery-Marco Polo.
[nid:71862]Now under the direct ownership of the Malaysian government’s sports ministry, which is determined to end the controversy, the race feels right again. For the trio of ProTour teams - Crédit Agricole, Bouygyes Telecom and AG2R-La Mondiale - they're likely to use the race as preparation for a long season ahead, though that said, Anthony Charteau fought tooth and nail to take the biggest win of his career last year ahead of Colombians José Serpa and Walter Pedraza.
For the rest, comprised of some quality Pro Continental and national outfits, they will surely be laying it on the line for what is arguably the most open edition ever.
Why? The decisive penultimate stage to Genting Highlands is gone and although replaced with the lengthy ascent of Fraser’s Hill, it's unlikely to be tough enough to see a climber don the final maillot jaune when the race concludes in Kuala Lumpur on February 17. If a break succeeds in any of the eight days before, one of the escapees may find himself in a position to win overall – but if every day ends in a bunch sprint - which, given the nature of the parcours, is also entirely possible - the best sprinter may well be able to accumulate enough bonus time to limit his losses on the only climb of significance.
[nid:71858]The 13th Tour de LangkawiStage 1 - February 9: Alor Setar - Kepala Batas, 182.6 kmStage 2 - February 10: Butterworth - Sitiawan, 159.7 kmStage 3 - February 11: Sitiawan - Banting, 209.4 kmStage 4 - February 12: Port Dickson - Batu Pahat, 169.0 kmStage 5 - February 13: Johor Bahru - Bandar Penawar, 139.9 kmStage 6 - February 14: Bandar Penawar - Kuala Rompin, 182.8 kmStage 7 - February 15: Kuala Rompin - Kuantan, 126.6 kmStage 8 - February 16: Temerloh - Bukit Fraser, 127.0 kmStage 9 - February 17: Kuala Lumpur Criterium, 80.4 kmTotal: 1377.4 km
A Spanish appeals court is set to consider the fate of the Operación Puerto doping scandal Friday in a decision that will have major implications for cycling’s fight to clean up the sport.
Three judges in Madrid’s Audiencia Province are expected to consider whether to reopen the investigation or take no action and leave the case permanently closed. With the slow hands of Spanish justice, it’s unclear how soon a decision will be released.
The Puerto case has remained in limbo since March when Spanish judge Antonio Serrano ordered the investigation closed. The UCI, the Spanish cycling federation and the Spanish prosecutors office appealed that decision.
If the appeals court decides to reopen the case, Serrano will be required to reactivate the investigation but without the power to retroactively apply Spain’s new tough anti-doping law that was introduced six months after the original Puerto raids in May 2006.
Even if the case is reopened, it’s unlikely that Serrano will be able to force DNA testing on some 200 bags of blood and plasma found in police raids.
If the court takes no action, the case will remain closed, with little or no opportunity for officials in Spain and other countries to use Puerto documents in their investigations.
The 2006 raids blew the lid open on an alleged widespread doping operation that included dozens of professional cyclists and athletes from other sports, though the media and the courts have focused almost exclusively on cycling.
Some 200 bags of blood and plasma were confiscated in police raids along with training documents that outlined elaborate doping practices. Codenames and a numbering system identified alleged clients that forced several top riders out of the 2006 Tour de France, including 1997 champion Jan Ullrich and pre-race favorite Ivan Basso.
At the center of the ring was Spanish gynecologist Eufemiano Fuentes and hematologist Merino Batres. The two were arrested along with former Liberty Seguros manager Manolo Saíz and two others.
All five were eventually released without charges. Because the raid occurred six months before Spain passed anti-doping legislation, only Fuentes and Batres faced relatively minor charges of “endangering public health” relating to the means by which blood packets were stored.
Serrano said there’s not enough evidence to file charges based on the narrow definition of the existing law at the time of the raids and decided to close the case last spring.
Despite more than 60 riders thought to be implicated, prosecutors and anti-doping officials have been unable to effectively use the evidence due to the legal quagmire.
So far, only three riders – Ivan Basso, Jörg Jaksche and Michele Scarponi – have admitted to working with Fuentes. All three are serving racing bans. Ullrich has consistently denied involvement, but a DNA test directly linked the German rider to several bags stored by Fuentes. Ullrich eventually retired, although he continues to declare his innocence.
Others, too, have been stigmatized by alleged Puerto links and either have been forced into retirement or left with few options to race on bigger teams.
Francisco Mancebo, for example, saw his name in headlines for alleged links to Puerto and lost out on a million-dollar contract with Ag2r and is now racing in Portugal for 15,000 euros a season.
American Tyler Hamilton’s effort to return to the sport in 2007 suffered a setback after being mentioned in connection with the case. Having served a two-year suspension for homologous blood doping, Hamilton signed a contract with the Russian-financed Tinkoff Credit Systems team, but was left off of the squad’s roster for the Giro d’Italia and didn’t race in team colors for the remainder of the season. He has since joined the American domestic team Rock Racing and is expected to ride in 2008.
Whether closed or not, the Puerto scandal continues to dog the top ranks of cycling. Defending Tour champion Alberto Contador has repeatedly denied reports that he worked with Fuentes. Alejandro Valverde is another high-profile rider who denies Puerto links despite what many say is evidence linking him to Fuentes.
Slipstream-Chipotle’s Magnus Bäckstedt has gotten back on his indoor trainer after suffering a broken collarbone at the Tour of Qatar. Meanwhile, BMC rider Steve Bovay had surgery Wednesday to repair damage from the same injury at the same race.
Bäckstedt crashed on stage 5 of the Tour of Qatar, and flew home to the United Kingdom for surgery immediately thereafter. After having his collarbone bolted back together, Bäckstedt got back on the trainer Monday.
[nid:71846]"It’s a setback, but only that,” he said. “Not a disaster. When your life is spent at the head of the race coming into sprints like the one in Qatar, these things happen. You can’t race scared, if you have fear, then you may as well pack up and go home.”
"As far as my collarbone is concerned, I am comfortable enough to be able to start on the turbo and believe me, I'll be fit for Roubaix” he said.
Over in Switzerland, Bovay reported that his February 6 surgery went well. He broke his collarbone at Qatar’s stage 3. Although he said he expected to get on the trainer next week, it would be at least two weeks before he could get out on the road again.
Bovay’s racing season is expected to resume at the March 29 Criterium International.
[nid:71845]“Then I will go back to America to do Redlands and then hopefully be ready to perform at the Tour of Romandie,” Bovay said on the BMC Web site. “Romandie is my main goal for the first part of the season. It is basically my home race, and the terrain really suits me, so I am definitely focusing on it.”
World four-cross champion Brian Lopes won the Men’s Open category at the January 20 Championship race of the 2007-08 Fresno Cyclocross Series at Woodward Park sponsored by Sportsmobile. It was the first time the 36-year-old Lopes had entered a cyclocross race.
“I knew one of the racers in the race who was leading the series so I basically just followed his lead,” Lopes told VeloNews. “With a ton of turns and even a few berms and table top jumps, the course was really fun and allowed for little spots to recover if you were good on the obstacles, which was right up my alley.”
Lopes was part of a three-man breakaway which was eventually joined by another racer. Lopes took the lead with two turns remaining and took the final sprint by a sizable margin.
“I didn't look back until I was about 100 feet from the finish when I found out I had a big lead and could just cruise in,” he said.
Lopes has a history of proving his abilities as an all-around bike racer: in 2000 he dusted some of the nation’s best roadies at the Redlands Classic sprint prologue, on his mountain bike. In 1995 he bunny hopped his bike 49.2 inches in the air. And in 2002 he tried his hand at track cycling, competing in a World Cup race in Monterey, Mexico.
Plans afoot for TransWalesOrganizers have announced plans for MTB TransWales 2008, a seven-day stage race across 344 miles of Welsh countryside. The route includes 50,840 of climbing and will run August 17-23.
Unlike other stage races, however, The TransWales is based on a combination of un-timed linking stages and timed special stages, similar to a rally car event. There will be seven linkage stages and four timed stages, including one night race. Riders will not be under the stress of time during the longer linkage stages, and will be able to enjoy the scenery and riding.
The MTB TransWales will cap its entry at 300 riders, and will boast competition for both teams and categories. A total of six categories will feature awards at the conclusion of the race.
For more information on the MTB TransWales, visit www.mtbtransuk.co.uk/wales.
TransAndes shoots for 2009The Chilean Santiagos Productions Company has announced plans for the TransAndes, a six-day epic mountain-bike stage race through Patagonia. The race will run February 3-8, 2009, starts and finishes in the Chilean city of Pucon, and take riders through parts of southern Argentina and Chile.
In the tradition of the TransAlp, Trans Rockies Challenge and Absa Cape Epic, the TransAndes will include competition between two-person teams. Organizers hope to cap registration at 400 teams, and riders will compete in eight categories: Open men, women, mixed, (combined age) 60 + men and mixed, 80+ men and mixed, and 100+ mixed.
Like the Cape Epic and TransRockies races, the TransAndes will boast a tent village style of living. Each stage will range in 60-90 kilometers in length, and the race race will traverse six volcanoes.
Registration for the race begins June 1, 2008. For more information visit www.transandeschallenge.com.
Bigfoot Productions halts on Colorado EpicColorado-based Bigfoot Productions, organizers of the successful Mountain States Cup www.racemsc.com has announced it is shelving plans to hold the Colorado Epic, a five-day epic mountain-bike race slated to roll through the Colorado Rocky Mountains in July.
“It needs to be done right and we don’t feel as if we have the resources in place to guarantee a superior product,” wrote Bigfoot’s chief Mike McCormack in a press release. “We’ve still got a fair bit of dialogue in front of us with land managers and it’s critical that those conversations and the fruit that they bear aren’t rushed and are allowed to unfold organically.”
McCormack said the company has committed itself to having the race fully ready by 2009.
Trans Germany shoots for 1100The Craft Bike Trans Germany stage race is hoping for 550 two-person teams to register for the 2008 event, which crosses Germany from west to east May 31-June 7. The route leads riders through six German states and across Germany’s Central Uplands.
The 2008 route returns relative unchanged from 2007, the Trans Germany’s inaugural year. The route boats 806.75 kilometers of riding with 17,893 meters of total climbing. The race kicks off in St. Wendel, in western Germany, and finishes in Oberwiesenthal, on the Czech border. Reigning champions Karl Platt and Stefan Sahm of the Bulls squad will return to defend their title.
The Trans Germany is organized into five competition categories: Men, Women, Mixed, Masters (combined 80+) and Senior Master (combined 100+). For more information visit www.biketransgermany.de.
24-Hours of Adrenaline Series kicks off in AprilThe 24-Hours of Adrenaline mountain-bike racing company will host four events in 2008. The first event is April 26 Hurkey Creek Park Spring event in Idylwild, California. Monterey, California wil host the second race of the year at Laguna Seca Speedway on April 4.
The 24-Hours of Adrenaline world solo championships will be held July 26 in Canmore, Alberta, site of the 1999 race. Defending champion Tinker Juarez announced he will be on hand to defend his title from 2007, which he won at the Laguna Seca venue.
The final race of the year will be held September 19 back at Hurkey Creep Park in Idylwild.
For more information, visit www.24hoursofadrenaline.com.
24 Hours in the Old Pueblo hits Tucson Feb 16-17In its ninth year, the Kona 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo is anticipating 1650 riders when the event kicks off north of Tucson, Arizona at the Willow Springs Ranch. That is a steep increase from the race’s first year — in 2000 only 176 riders showed up.
“We put on a high-quality, well-organized race,” said Todd Sadow, the event’s race director. “But it’s within the greater context of connecting people across the spectrum of the bicycling community, bringing them together in a positive environment to celebrate the many benefits we enjoy.”
The race is dedicated to Mountain Bike Hall of Fame member Richard Cunningham, the founder of Mantis Bicycles, whose contributions to the sport include covering mountain bicycling as editor of Mountain Bike Action magazine, for being a long-time advocate for mountain bike access, and for his many innovations and contributions to mountain bike design.
For more information about the event go online to
www.epicrides.com/twofour/24.htm.
Hall of Fame Accepting ApplicationsThe Mountain Bike Hall of Fame and Museum is seeking nominations for the 2008 induction ballot. Nominees can be individuals or organizations who have made significant contributions to the sport of mountain biking on a national or international level. Nominations must be a minimum of 250 words, and should include the nominee's current addresses, snail and e-mail, as well as a phone number so the Hall can obtain complete biographical information about the candidate.
The six nomination categories are; Advocacy, Industry, Journalism, Pioneers, Promotion, and Racing History. The Hall of Fame asks that a nominee have substantial a history of 10 plus years as an active mountain biker. The Deadline for nominations is April 15th, 2008.
Most nominees from the 2007 ballot will automatically be placed on the 2008 ballot. For more information visit www.mtnbikehalloffame.com.
President George W. Bush has asked the U.S. Senate to ratify an international treaty that would add further muscle to anti-doping efforts in sport.
In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Bush called on the Senate to quickly approve the International Convention Against Doping in Sport, an international treaty adopted by the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2005.
“The United States supported the development of the Convention as a means to ensure equitable and effective application and promotion of anti-doping controls in international competition,” Bush wrote. “The Convention will help to advance international cooperation on and promotion of international doping control efforts, and will help to protect the integrity and spirit of sport by supporting efforts to ensure a fair and doping-free environment for athletes.”
Work on the Convention began in 2003 after the second World Conference on Doping in Sport in Copenhagen, Denmark. At the time, analysts determined that the World Anti-Doping Code required the additional legal authority of an international treaty since a majority of governments around the world – including the United States - could not be bound by agreements drafted by non-governmental organizations, such as the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Seventy-six countries have ratified the Convention, with another 115, including the United States, defined as “in process.” The speed at which the Convention was drafted and ratified is largely a reflection of the immense financial and political power of the IOC, its support of WADA and the expressed willingness of the Olympic movement to deny the awarding of international events – including world championships, Pan-American, Paralympic and Olympic Games – to countries that do not comply with the Code and Convention. That threat, particularly the exclusion of non-compliant countries from consideration as potential Olympic hosts, has added a sense of urgency to the ratification process in several countries.
“The International Olympic Movement has been supportive of the promotion and adoption of this Convention by the international community. Ratification by the United States will demonstrate the United States' longstanding commitment to the development of international anti-doping controls and its commitment to apply and facilitate the application of appropriate anti-doping controls during international competitions held in the United States,” Bush noted. “Ratification will also ensure that the United States will continue to remain eligible to host international competitions.”
The president’s support of the treaty was welcomed by U.S. Anti-Doping Agency CEO Travis Tygart.
“President Bush's submission of the UNESCO Anti-Doping Convention to the United States Senate underscores our country's continuing commitment to clean and drug-free sport,” Tygart said in a news release. “American athletes who seek to compete clean have always had strong support from President Bush and the United States Congress, and ratification of this important agreement will further strengthen U.S. efforts in the worldwide fight against doping in sport.”
Despite ongoing doping scandals involving Major League Baseball and other top professional sports in the U.S., the Convention does not cover any major American sports leagues. Like MLB, the National Football League, the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association do not have agreements with the IOC. The sole exceptions are NBA and NHL players who choose to compete on national teams in Olympic and other international competitions. Those players are subject to the same anti-doping rules as any other Olympic athlete.
Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) makes his season debut this weekend at the 13th GP Costa degli Etruschi as he faces an appeal in the Court of Arbitration for Sport next month over elevated levels of Salbutamol dating back to last year’s Giro d’Italia.
Petacchi has won the sprint-friendly one-day race three times in a row and will be keen to start his 2008 season off on a winning note following a scandal-plagued year that saw him face down a possible one-year ban for alleged abuses of Salbutamol.
“The first race of the year is always special for me,” Petacchi said in a team communiqué. “The GP Costa degli Etruschi takes place about 100km from my hometown, so my whole family is there every year. Of course, that gives me extra motivation. I hope that we can go well organized into the mass sprint directly at the beginning of the season. Naturally, I want to repeat my victory of the last years.”
Petacchi, 34, is also scheduled to meet with the media on Friday and it will be interesting to see how he handles any questions about his controversial Salbutamol case.
The Italian sprinter was forced to miss the 2007 Tour de France after the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) pressed unsuccessfully for a one-year ban after he revealed elevated levels of Salbutamol, the acting agent in inhalers popular among the peloton.
Petacchi tested “non-negative” following post-stage anti-doping controls taken in Pinerolo on May 23, the third of what would be five stage victories in the 2007 Giro.
The test revealed Petacchi had levels of Salbutamol at 1320ng/ml, above the UCI-designated limit of 1000ng/ml. The UCI says that high levels of Salbutamol can have an anabolic and stimulating effect.
Once notified by the UCI, officials from CONI wanted to slap him with a one-year ban.
Petacchi, however, produced a therapeutic use exemption issued by the UCI that allowed use of the inhaler to treat asthma.
The Italian cycling federation later dropped the case without issuing a ban.
Bolstered by that decision, Petacchi called it “the most beautiful win of my life” and returned to racing late last season. He picked up wins at the Regio Tour and two stages at the Vuelta a España.
“After a 12-year career and 140 races won, I can only say that I had no reason to ruin my career with a Ventolin inhaler,” he told journalists last summer. “At the last Giro, I did nothing different from all other times. … I have always believed that I did nothing wrong and now I can leave with my head held high.”
That’s not the end of the story, however.
Both CONI and the UCI have appealed the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. A hearing is scheduled for March 12.
Milram for GP Costa degli Etruschi Alessandro Petacchi (Ita) Volodymyr Diudia (Ukr) Matej Jurco (Svk) Martin Muller (Ger) Alberto Ongarato (Ita) Marco Velo (Ita) Elia Rigotto (Ita) Fabio Sabatini (Ita) Niki Terpstra (Ned)
Reston, VA (February 1, 2008) - Following three successful years racing at the regional level, Hefler Performance Coaching (HPC) has expanded its team to compete in a full National racing calendar (NRC) for 2008. HPC is proud to introduce Altarum Institute as a new title sponsor for the NRC team. Formerly known as the HPC/LIST Women’s Cycling Team, HPC has been successful at the regional level producing the Mid Atlantic Best All Around Rider for two of the past three seasons. “We are extremely grateful to Altarum for their belief in our team” said Susan Hefler, Team Director. “Their support is making it possible for these very talented women to realize their full potential and race at the highest level of U.S. competition", she added.
“We are really excited about the Altarum partnership with HPC and this group of extraordinary athletes,” said Linc Smith, Altarum’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to rooting them on thru the season, of course. And we hope they will inspire others to become healthier and more physically active. On top of that, we have found in this team a group of like-minded systems thinkers. Bike racing is a great example of a system, with each player on the team interacting with others to achieve a defined result. As a group of health systems researchers, all of us at Altarum thought the affiliation was just a natural fit.”
Altarum Institute (www.altarum.org) is a nonprofit health systems research institute. Altarum helps its clients research and apply health systems solutions to improve our nation’s health.
The 2008 National Racing Team includes: Jenette Williams, a fast finisher with numerous NRC podium placings; Kristy Scheffenacker, 3-time MABRA champion and former Colavita Bolla Professional Women’s Cycling Team member; Susan Hefler, Team Director and former Navigator’s and RONA Professional Women’s team member; Michele Bote, a savvy stage racer with over 15 years of racing experience; Lorena Candrian, a climbing dynamo and top finisher in NRC events; Kate Flore, a sprinter and promising all-around rider; and Jennifer Rasmusson, a power house and developing track talent. HPC encompasses both a national (NRC) team and a regional developmental team. For a full roster of all the HPC Cycling Team riders and multisport athletes, visit www.hpcracing.com.
In addition to this new partnership for 2008, LIST Innovative Solutions continues to be the title sponsor for the HPC Women’s Regional Team, Men’s Mountain Bike Team, and multisport athletes. LIST Innovative Solutions, a prime government contractor with 10+ years of Information Technology experience is based in Herndon, VA and owned by Katie Sleep. To learn more about LIST, visit their website at www.listinc.com.
HPC is grateful to the following product sponsors for their generous support:
Specialized Bicycles
Spokes Etc… Bicycle Shops
Tifosi Eyewear
Carb-BOOM! Energy Gel
Accelerade Endurox R4 Partners
CeraSport Hydration
Sportlegs
Nine ProTour teams have demanded immediate talks with the organizers of cycling's three grand tours after the Giro d’Italia denied entry to four of their number.
Though the 18 ProTour teams are supposed to be included in the season's major races, Astana, Team High Road, Bouygues Telecom and Crédit Agricole all were denied invitations to the Giro in the wake of a dispute between major race organizers and the UCI.
The Giro, Tour de France and Vuelta a España – as well as other races owned by the trio's respective management companies - are no longer part of the ProTour following disagreements over the way the UCI series is run, and the organizers now have the upper hand when it comes to choosing teams for their races.
But with concerns growing over their participation in the big events, half of the 18 ProTour teams are now considering drastic action.
"We understand and respect the organizers' desire to avoid the presence of teams that could damage the image of the sport," said a statement from the group. "However, we don't want to come to a situation where we are forced to apply pressure by saying, 'Either you take all of us or none of us.’"
Some prominent teams are involved in this move, including the Quick Step team of world champion Paolo Bettini as well as Lampre, Saunier Duval, Liquigas, Milram, Rabobank, High Road, CSC and Astana, now home to 2007 Tour champ Alberto Contador.
Kazakhstan's Alexandre Vinokourov and the whole Astana team were kicked off the Tour de France last year after he tested positive for blood doping.
After initially citing that incident as one of the reasons not to invite Astana to the May 10-June 1 race, Giro chief Angelo Zomegnan said Monday his decision was more to do with the quality of riders the Kazakh-backed team would likely send.
"At this moment, the quality of the proposed participating riders for the Giro is not in proportion to the potential of the team," said Zomegnan. "I do not take into consideration what happened with the old Astana in the past. Time probably cures all things."
Astana, now registered in Luxembourg, has new management and new riders, and has promised to introduce a comprehensive internal anti-doping program under former Discovery Channel chief Johan Bruyneel.
But Contador - who despite being cleared by a Spanish judge continues to be linked to the Operación Puerto doping scandal - has not been guaranteed a chance to defend his title in this year’s Tour.
Coming off a stellar season that culminated in the prestigious 2007 USA CRITS Individual and Team Championship, the Toshiba-Santo Professional Cycling Team presented by Herbalife returns in 2008 with an enhanced program featuring new riders and a host of dynamic new partnerships.
New to this year’s edition of this UCI Continental squad are:
• Carlos Eduardo Alzate, Pan Am Pursuit Champion
• Claudio Arone, 2007 winner of Uruguay’s 500 Miles of the North
• John Durango, former Pan Am Games Madison and Team Pursuit Champion
• Mark Hekman, 2007 Athens Twilight Criterium Champion
• Tommy Nankervis, 1 Best Young Rider jersey at the 2007 Tour De Georgia
• John Fredy Parra, multiple Vuelta Columbia stage winner; Univest and Tour of Missouri podiums
• Andrew Talansky, 2006 Florida State Road/Criterium Junior Champion
• Daniel Vaillancourt, 8th overall Tour of Virginia
Returning team members include 2007 USA CRITS Champion Frank Travieso and U-23 Criterium National Champion Keith Norris along with Winston David, Yosvany Falcon, Alex Hagman, Eric Keim, Predrag Prokic, Robert Sweeting, and Scottie Weiss.
The team will be under the road direction of Gus Carrillo, a seasoned international director, who in the past has worked with Colavita, Health Net and Slipstream programs.
For 2008 the Toshiba-Santo team will be flying the recognizable red colors of Toshiba, one of the world’s leading electronics manufacturers and business solutions providers. The newest team sponsor is Santo Miami Beach, one of the hottest restaurants and ultralounges on Miami Beach. The team also enters a new relationship with global fitness and wellness giant, Herbalife which will provide its products to the team and will serve as its presenting sponsor.
The squad is proud to continue their close association with Louis Garneau, the largest producer of custom cycling and triathlon apparel in North America. “Everything for the Athlete” is the company’s mantra and the team will not only be outfitted with the company’s Sonix 6.4 Carbon bicycles for this season, helmets, shoes, and clothing, but they will also be paramount to Garneau’s “Share The Road” program, which strives to promote proper cycling etiquette as well as children’s safety initiatives.
Toshiba-Santo managing director Ravi Rajcoomar is optimistic about these strategic partnerships the team has aligned for the new year: "Our focus is to be one of the best teams in the Western Hemisphere and provide a strong marketing value to our partners while delivering the best athletic achievements possible. We have increased our commitment through staffing, infrastructure, diverse marketing programs, and the addition of key riders to the roster that bolster our philosophy identifying talent early and of growing from within. We are very excited to be working with our marketing partners and welcoming a few new ones into our racing family. We applaud each of our partners who are deeply committed to our program and to the sport. We are also very excited about our new team members each of whom brings a unique skill set to support our dynamic group of returning talent. We look forward to racing."
The team, which will begin its season this month by returning to defend Frank Travieso’s overall title at this year’s Tour of the Bahamas, will then gather in the Georgia Mountains in Dahlonegha for a week-long training camp in the daunting, hilly terrain of North Georgia from the 4th through the 11th of February. The team will set up their base camp and will be hosted by Josh and Leigh Saint at Hiker Hostel, which is located on the famous six-gap route.
Toshiba-Santo presented by Herbalife for 2008
Carlos Eduardo Alzate, 25
Claudio Arone, 28
Winston David, 20
John Durango, 29
Yosvany Falcon, 27
Alex Hagman, 24
Mark Hekman, 29
Eric Keim, 27
Tommy Nankervis, 25
Keith Norris, 22
John Fredy Parra, 34
Predrag Prokic, 25
Robert Sweeting, 19
Andrew Talansky, 20
Frank Travieso, 27
Daniel Vaillancourt, 26
Scottie Weiss, 36
Sport director: Gustavo Carrillo
Budding Belgian classics star Nick Nuyens says he’ll miss the steady presence of American Tyler Farrar as he enters the 2008 season.
Farrar was one of Nuyens’ right-hand men at Cofidis last year as the Belgian moved into the role as team captain for the French team’s classics push. With Farrar donning argyle this season at Slipstream-Chipotle, Nuyens said the team will notice his absence.
“Tyler was great on the team last year. He was always there to help me and he really wanted to learn,” Nuyens told VeloNews. “We’ll miss him this year, for sure. He’s a strong rider with a big future. We wanted to keep him at Cofidis. Everyone knows he can win classics in the next few years.”
The 27-year-old Nuyens is optimistic about the 2008 campaign and hopes to enjoy a breakthrough victory in his second season as designated team leader. Last year, he switched from classics powerhouse QuickStep to Cofidis to rejuvenate the French squad’s classics program.
“At QuickStep, I had Boonen, Pozzato and Bettini ahead of me, so it was hard to find chances to ride as the team leader in the classics,” said Nuyens, who won Het Volk in 2005 and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in 2006. “Cofidis wanted to revamp its classics program. It’s worked out perfect for everyone. They’re really supporting me with a strong team.”
While Nuyens didn’t score a major scalp last year, he was consistent in his first season as team captain with wins at Etoile de Bessèges and a stage victory at the Eneco Tour along with seventh at Tour of Flanders and second at Brabantse Pijl.
“It was a good season. I was always close. I didn’t have that one big win, but in the classics, it’s never easy,” Nuyens said. “I learned a lot. I’m a year stronger and smarter. Plus, we have (Frank) Hoy back from injury and Rik (Verbruggen) is helping now in the classics. We have a strong team even without Tyler.”
Nuyens is skipping defending during his title in this week’s Bessèges after racing last week in Qatar and will regroup for an ambitious run at this year’s classics calendar.
“I will do all the northern classics plus Liège and maybe race the Giro. I won’t go to the Tour this year. Instead, I would like to try for the world championships,” he said. “I know I have the capacity to win one of the monuments this year. That’s what we’re all working for.”
Farrar, meanwhile, will be lining up against his ex-captain this year as an integral part of Slipstream-Chipotle’s classics effort.
Farrar – who got the 2008 season off to a winning start last weekend with two stage victories at the Tour of the Bahamas – is slated to race the Tour of California before heading to Europe to race in the classic openers at Het Volk and Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in early March.
Australia’s Anna Meares, Olympic champion in the 500-meter sprint at the 2004 games in Athens, miss her chance to defend her title after suffering a crash at the Los Angeles round of the 2007-08 UCI World Cup.
The 24-year-old, who hails from Queensland, was injured in the finals of the women’s Keirin on January 20, the final night of the third round of the World Cup. In a race won by American Jennie Reed, Meares tumbled hard onto her back and neck before sliding into the protective netting surrounding the ADT Events Center Velodrome in Carson, Calfornia. She suffered a dislocated shoulder and a fractured C2 vertebra in the crash, and isn’t expected to recover for several months.
“Her ligaments and cartilage injuries are healing well, but obviously the timeline for this type of injury is a little longer,” Australian national coach Martin Barras told VeloNews. “Mid-March for a full recovery and therefore no possibility of removing the neck brace or riding a bike before then. This will be followed by a period of rehab for her neck.”
That means Meares will miss this week’s Australian national track championships, the February 15-17 World Cup finals in Ballerup, Denmark as well as the March 26-30 world track championships in Manchester, England. The missed races will put the Australian behind the ball in accumulating UCI points necessary to make the August 8-24 Olympics. She currently sits fourth in the World Cup points table, with the top-nine riders earning Olympic berths.
Meares’ Olympic chances now rest with the UCI — the sport’s governing body can award wild card slots to riders, however only if a pre-qualified cyclist withdraws from the Olympics.
“[The injury] has taken any control we had over the Olympic qualification process out of our hands,” Barras said. “We are now reliant on the performances of our opponents to allow her to qualify.”
Aussie Nationals kick off Without Mactier, Bates, KersenThe 2008 Australian track cycling championships kicked off on Monday, February 4 at the Denc Gray Velodrome in Sydney. The event runs through Sunday, February 10.
Missing from the race is Melbourne’s Katie Mactier, who currently leads the World Cup in that event. The 33-year-old, who earned a silver medal in the pursuit at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, withdrew after learning she needed root-canal surgery to repair a tooth.
Mactier was a strong contender to earn the Aussie title in the 3000-meter Individual Pursuit, having taken victories at the opening two World Cup rounds, held in Beijing and Sydney. She sat out the third World Cup round, held February 17-20 in Los Angeles, but still holds a lead in the World Cup overall. Should she win the World Cup title, Mactier will earn an automatic spot for the 2008 Olympics.
Also sitting out from the Australian championships are talented sprinter Ben Kersen and reigning points race world champion Katherine Bates. Both withdrew due to illness.
2008 Australian National Track Championships (three of seven days)Women’s 500m time trial1. Kaarle McCulloch (New South Wales), 34.932. Kerrie Meares (Queensland), 35.473. Josephine Butler (Western Australia), 37.324. Laura McCaughey (Tasmania), 37.395. Esther Pugh-Uren (Victoria), 38.18Women’s points race1. Belinda Goss (Tasmania), 28 points2. Tess Downing (Victoria), 213. Josephine Tomic (Western Australia), 154. Skye-Lee Armstrong (New South Wales), 145. Laura McCaughey (Tasmania), 11Women 3000m Individual Pursuit1. Josephine Tomic (Western Australia), 3:42.952. Tess Downing (Victoria), 3:51.734. Vicki Whitelaw (Australia Capital Territory), 3:48.494. Helen Kelly (Victoria), 3:49.73Men’s 1000m1. Joel Leonard (Victoria), 1:02.892. Jackson-Leigh Rathbone (New South Wales), 1:03.913. Steve Sansonetti (Victoria), 1:05.054. Adrian Sansonetti (Victoria), 1:06.115. Byron Davis (Queensland), 1:06.68Men’s 4000m Individual Pursuit1. Mark Jamieson (Tasmania), 4:25.42. Leigh Howard (Victoria), 4:27.923. Zakkari Dempster (Victoria), 4:27.54. Jack Bobridge (South Australia), 4:28.51Women’s Team Sprint1. Queensland (Kerrie Meares, Emily Rosemond), 34.792. New South Wales (Cassandra Kell, Kaarle McCulloch), 35.093. South Australia (Annette Edmondson, Stephanie Morton), 36.334. Western Australia (Josephine Butler, Teegan Morton), 36.56
When you’re on top, there’s only one thing to do — do your best to stay there.
It’s something the riders and staff of Health Net-Maxxis, the number one team in USA Cycling’s National Calendar Rankings for four years running, know all too well. Entering the 2008 season with a scaled-down roster means the team will be facing its biggest challenge yet as it tries to maintain a hold on that No. 1 position.
[nid:71838]Returning with just 12 riders, three fewer than last year, Health Net at least has history, if not its former depth, on its side. The team has parted ways with top domestic GC rider Nathan O’Neill, along with Ryder Hesjedal, Jeff Louder, Shawn Milne and Doug Ollerenshaw. Health Net picked up Phil Zajicek and Matt Cooke from the now-defunct Navigators Insurance squad and has also added Corey Collier, who spent the 2007 season riding with the Colorado-based Einstein’s Bagels amateur team. The team also returns as a UCI continental team, rather than as the continental professional team it was in 2007.
[nid:71837]In addition to its top team ranking, over the past four years Health Net has twice placed a rider on top of the NRC rankings — in 2005 with Scott Moninger and in 2007 with Aussie Rory Sutherland.
Moninger, of course, has moved on, retiring as a competitor at the end of 2007 and now taking over as director of Toyota-United, Health Net’s chief domestic rival over the past two seasons. Sutherland, however, returns to Health Net along with compatriot Karl Menzies, team captain Tim Johnson, U.S. national criterium champion Kirk O’Bee, Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium winner Frank Pipp, support rider Roman Kilun and developing young riders Matt Crane, Kyle Gritters and John Murphy.
After four years at Navigators Insurance, Zajicek comes to Health Net to serve as co-leader with Sutherland. His hiring reunites him with Johnson, a teammate at Saturn in 2003, as well as with O’Bee, with whom he rode at Navigators in 2004 and ‘05. Zajicek won last year’s Cascade Classic and finished second at the Mt. Hood Cycling Classic, and hopes to return to take the top step at both.
“I’ve always had respect for this team,” Zajicek said at the team’s recent training camp, which ran from January 28 to February 3 in Solvang, California. “I believe in being loyal to my employer, but this was a perfect opportunity for me. I think Rory and I will complement each other well, but it’s a deep team — everyone on this team can win.”
BMC Racing signed O’Neill to ride in 2008, but he’s now fighting a positive doping result from the 2007 Tour of Elk Grove and is not currently listed on that team’s roster. Health Net team president and marketing director Thierry Attias explained that the squad made the decision not to bring O’Neill back well before news of his positive result.
[nid:71840]“We have to look at a rider’s value versus cost, and we decided a guy like Phil Zajicek was more valuable for the cost,” Attias said. “Nathan was very good for 35 days a year, while Phil can be good 80 days a year. Nathan was very good at time trials, but Phil also one of the top time trial riders in North America, and he isn’t afraid to go to the front in a criterium and help out his teammates.”
Attias acknowledged that the team’s scaled down 12-man roster is a direct result of a smaller 2008 budget.
“We run this team similar to a business, and like any business, there is some ebb and flow,” he said. “We’re operating with a little less, but we’re confident we can produce a quality end product.”
Sutherland won multiple stages at the Redlands Classic and Joe Martin Stage Race in 2007 and returns for a second year of racing in the U.S. He said he wouldn’t target another NRC title so much as focus on “winning bike races.”
“We just want to win races, we’re not looking at individual or team rankings,” Sutherland said. “If that comes along, great, but we’re not targeting anything so much as taking opportunities as they come to us.”
[nid:71839]Sutherland, who recently finished second at the Australian national time-trial championship and third at the national road championship, said that the team was smaller in 2008, but had “no less passion, or motivation or talent.”
“Every one of these guys was hired for a reason,” Sutherland said. “We have guys who know how to perform when they need to. We’ve got a selfless group, still the core group from 2007, and we’re essentially a group of friends that race together. And when we’re happy and having fun, we tend to race well together.”
Also gone is former team director Jeff Corbett, the men who led the team to those four successive team titles. He has been replaced by Mike Tamayo, who spent the 2007 with the team as an assistant director. Attias noted that still Corbett maintains a relationship with the team and is expected to help out on a limited basis.
Tamayo and Attias were in agreement on the team’s goals for 2008: “To dominate bike racing domestically.”
Tamayo said that after four years at the top NRC team, adding a fifth year would be nice, but that shouldn’t be the sole ambition for the team.
“We want to be the animators,” Tamayo said. “We want to make the racing harder, and be dominant. We asked the sponsors how important it was for us to take a fifth title, and they told us, ‘Maybe it’s time to go for something else.’”
Something else will likely mean the team will try to on its record of stage wins at the three U.S. “grand tours.” Health Net has not taken a stage win in two editions of the Tour of California or at last year’s Tour of Missouri — where Louder took the KOM title. Its last stage win at the Tour de Georgia was in 2005, when Gord Fraser won the final stage in Alpharetta. Hesjedal secured the KOM title at the 2007 Tour de Georgia, while Greg Henderson took sprinters jersey at the 2005 edition.
Attias and Tamayo acknowledged that the Tour of California is an important event, particularly for its title sponsor, the California-based Health Net, which returns in 2008 as a sponsor of the race.
“We’d like to have a good Tour of California,” Attias said. “We’re not eyeing a GC podium, but we’d like a stage win or several podium appearances.”
Tamayo named listed Health Net’s Tour of California roster as Johnson, Pipp, Menzies, Sutherland, Zajicek, Crane, Murphy and Kilun. Zajicek said he’ll aim for a top 10 in California, but added that he’s primarily hoping to take a stage, and would be willing to gamble a top 10 GC placing to try for a stage win.
One big streak the team hopes to maintain is its record at Philly Week. Health Net riders have won five of nine events over the last three years, including a remarkable sweep of all three races in 2005.
“We want to perform well whenever eyes are upon us,” Attias said.
The injury report keeps growing for Slipstream-Chipotle early in the 2008 season.
First it was Magnus Backstedt cracking his right clavicle in the Tour of Qatar last week. On Wednesday, Blake Caldwell went down in a crash in the opening stage of the Étoile de Bessèges in France to fracture his hip. The team is reporting he should be sidelined for about three weeks.
Despite Caldwell’s bad luck, Slipstream-Chipotle snuck two riders into the top 10, with Mike Friedman taking ninth and Jason Donald slotting in for 10th.
Jan Kuyckx (Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner) won the opening sprint ahead of Gianni Meersman (Francaise des Jeux) to take the leader’s jersey going into Thursday’s second stage from Nîmes to Saint Ambroix.
The Trek Bicycle Store of Brooklyn will be hosting a visit by Gary Fisher in New York City on Thursday, April 3, 2008. The visit will take place at 7 to 10 pm at the store’s location, 1755 McDonald Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11230.
Gary Fisher is considered by the cycling industry to be a pioneer in mountain biking and he will be premiering the Billy Savage documentary “Klunkerz” at the grand opening of the first Trek Concept Store in New York State.
The Billy Savage documentary “Klunkerz” is about the birth and development of mountain bikes. The documentary uses a variety old video footage and interviews with pioneers like Gary Fisher to tell the story of how a fringe sport became a world wide phenomenon.
Gary Fisher was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1988. He began building mountain bikes in 1974 by cobbling together various bicycle components to create bikes that were durable enough for the rigors of riding off road. Gary Fisher continues to build bikes with his company Gary Fisher Bicycles.
The Trek Bicycle Store of Brooklyn is the first Trek Concept Store in the state of New York. It features 6000 square feet of retail space which makes it the largest bike store in New York City. The store offers over 300 bikes from brands like Trek, Gary Fisher, Lemond, and Mirraco. The store carries bicycles for every rider in the family from inexpensive kid’s bicycles to several thousand dollar professional road racing machines.
The Trek Bicycle Store of Brooklyn promotes cycling fun and safety. In conjunction with the Bike NY, the folks that run the Five Boro Bike Tour, they host “The Savvy Cyclist”, an all-day seminar devoted to teaching adults how to be safe and enjoy bike riding in New York City. The store is also sponsoring Bike Safety Classes for elementary school children. These classes promote helmet use, and teach all aspects of bike safety in NYC.
Transit Directions: F Train to Avenue P Stop, Walk North along McDonald Avenue for 1/2 block
Contact: Joe Dweck (718) 645-8735 Owner, Event Coordinator
Or: Brian Hsieh (718) 645-8735 Store Manager
Email: info@trekofbrooklyn.com
www.trekofbrooklyn.com
The Trek Bicycle Store of Brooklyn will be hosting a visit by Gary Fisher in New York City on Thursday, April 3, 2008. The visit will take place at 7 to 10 pm at the store’s location, 1755 McDonald Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11230.
Gary Fisher is considered by the cycling industry to be a pioneer in mountain biking and he will be premiering the Billy Savage documentary “Klunkerz” at the grand opening of the first Trek Concept Store in New York State.
The Billy Savage documentary “Klunkerz” is about the birth and development of mountain bikes. The documentary uses a variety old video footage and interviews with pioneers like Gary Fisher to tell the story of how a fringe sport became a world wide phenomenon.
Gary Fisher was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame in 1988. He began building mountain bikes in 1974 by cobbling together various bicycle components to create bikes that were durable enough for the rigors of riding off road. Gary Fisher continues to build bikes with his company Gary Fisher Bicycles.
The Trek Bicycle Store of Brooklyn is the first Trek Concept Store in the state of New York. It features 6000 square feet of retail space which makes it the largest bike store in New York City. The store offers over 300 bikes from brands like Trek, Gary Fisher, Lemond, and Mirraco. The store carries bicycles for every rider in the family from inexpensive kid’s bicycles to several thousand dollar professional road racing machines.
The Trek Bicycle Store of Brooklyn promotes cycling fun and safety. In conjunction with the Bike NY, the folks that run the Five Boro Bike Tour, they host “The Savvy Cyclist”, an all-day seminar devoted to teaching adults how to be safe and enjoy bike riding in New York City. The store is also sponsoring Bike Safety Classes for elementary school children. These classes promote helmet use, and teach all aspects of bike safety in NYC.
Transit Directions: F Train to Avenue P Stop, Walk North along McDonald Avenue for 1/2 block
Contact: Joe Dweck (718) 645-8735 Owner, Event Coordinator
Or: Brian Hsieh (718) 645-8735 Store Manager
Email: info@trekofbrooklyn.com
www.trekofbrooklyn.com