Amgen Tour of California 2013 – Stage 5

Echelons forming splits in the Peloton, a break away of 18 with 7 Aussies, and Jens taking the win. (I’d been initially hoping for Bling to get the sprint and Dodger for the GC – but we can’t get everything *chuckle*)

#sbscycling #atoc Final 20km, and what was supposedly a sprint stage has become an echelon-style cracker. Come join us! @SBS2 and online.

—
  (@CyclingCentral) May 16, 2013

Four riders from @Orica_GreenEDGE in break. This has to be the day. #atoc

—
Michael Tomalaris (@miketomalaris) May 16, 2013

#atoc #sbscycling The break includes van Garderen, who is virtual yellow jersey, Sagan, Matthews, Meyer and Rogers among others. 15km to go.

—
  (@CyclingCentral) May 16, 2013

#ATOC: Wow, what a race! Echelons caused a split on stage five. We put 4 in the 18 rider lead group. @blingmatthews went on to finish fifth.

—
ORICA-GreenEDGE (@Orica_GreenEDGE) May 16, 2013

Jens Voigt took out Stage 5 at the Tour of California after a tenacious attack inside the final 5km that netted a solo victory into Avila Beach. Voigt was among the elite group that formed with approximately 55km still to go when crosswinds battered the peloton, as was BMC’s Tejay van Garderen, who assumed the race lead after Janier Acevedo (Jamis-Hagens Berman) missed the split. — cyclingnews

Cycling: this past week

Giro del Trentino 2013

Wiggo chucking his bike across the road only for it to softly prop up against a wall was a thing of legend. #Trentino #whereisthereplay

—
Taylor Phinney (@taylorphinney) April 19, 2013

Liège-Bastogne-Liège

"Dropped like a Panda at the spring classics" a new description for my riding style ;)

—
  (@visibleprocrast) April 21, 2013

Tour of Turkey 2013

Huge crash in the final of the stage, from one side of the road to the other. The crash barriers by the road fell over like dominos

—
the Inner Ring (@inrng) April 22, 2013

Renshaw is on his way to the hospital for further scrutiny. Jeroen Blijlevens is with him in the ambulance. More details later today.

—
Blanco Pro Cycling (@BlancoCycling) April 22, 2013

2013 Tour de France Route Presentation

Last night’s presentation of the 2013 Tour de France Route has given us many gems to ponder over the coming months;

From 29th June to 21st July 2013, the hundredth edition of the Tour de France will take the riders, support staff, spectators and viewers on a 3,360-km route that will remain exclusively within France’s borders. After a first stay in Corsica, the Big Loop will visit the country’s wonders and will providing the climbers in the pack with brand new challenges. After the final time-trial, there will still be 615 kilometres of road to cover before the finishing line, in particular a double ascent of the Alpe d’Huez climb! — www.letour.fr

HIGHLIGHTS:
* Stage 1 – The Tour gets underway in Corsica on June 29
* Two individual time trials, significantly shorter than in 2012 being just 32km and 33km
* Stage 15 – A summit finish at Mont Ventoux on Bastille Day
* Stage 18 – we see l’Alpe d’Huez twice. OUCH!
* Stage 21 – the Champs-Elysees as night falls, with the stage finish in Paris set for 9:45PM

A Reasoned Decision

Reasoned Decision and Supporting Materials for U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team Investigation

Today, we are sending the ‘Reasoned Decision’ in the Lance Armstrong case and supporting information to the Union Cycliste International (UCI), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). The evidence shows beyond any doubt that the US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team ran the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.
– http://cyclinginvestigation.usada.org/ (2012-Oct-10) [USADA]

View this document on Scribd

A long read (200 pages) but a must read if you are a Pro Cycling fan and have been following the sport during the Lance years. The evidence is overwhelming – Lance was a cheat.

Bupa Around the Bay 2012 – episode 2

By now I should be into some pretty awesome training kilometers and have a hardened bum so the distance is no object … well about that, sometimes life gets in the way. The lycra has arrived, but my mail order legs have not.

Only 26 days to go until we ride!

Subject: I am riding to support Aussie kids – help me make a difference

Hi guys,
On Sunday 21st October, I will be riding in the 20th Bupa Around the Bay bike ride to support Aussie kids in need. Yes, it will be me along with 20,000 other fit cyclist physiques… poised at the start line… bicycles fine-tuned… and bodies squeezed into unforgiving (but aerodynamic) lycra. I’ll endure helmet hair and headwinds to go the distance

Why? Because right now, 1 in 10 Aussie kids are living in disadvantage. At school, these children don’t have the basics like a school bag, complete uniform or the schoolbooks they need to make the most of their education. As a result, they are often teased or left out by other students. So, I am raising funds to allow these kids to create better futures for themselves – an extremely worthy cause and I would really appreciate your support. Please visit the link below to sponsor me in the ride:
http://www.aroundthebayfundraising.com.au/?DarrenRobertson

It will only take a few minutes and a tax deductible receipt will be emailed to you immediately! Best of all, you’ll be helping support The Smith Family to make a big difference in the life of an Aussie child. Let’s work together to give these kids the chance to realise their full potential.

Thanks! Your support is greatly appreciated.
Darren

Bupa Around the Bay 2012 – episode 1

At this point I’d like to say that I am now averaging 200km a week training and my mail order Cancellara-thighs™ have arrived and are working well; back in the real world I have been laid low by seven days of flu infection which not only stopped me training but have also stuffed up my aerobic capacity. Back to training again this week with a fair bit of cross training as I also appear to be running the Half Marathon during the Melbourne Marathon Festival – everyone needs a hobby *!*

Luckily I have made progress on the bike upgrade. My secret ‘Around the Bay’ weapon is the Trek 2012 Madone 3.1 – “Trek’s new Madone 3.1 brings all the handling, performance, and style of the Madone series into an astonishing value package. Performance Fit frame platform, the 3.1 offers the durability and value of a Shimano 105 drivetrain matched to the energy-saving ride of Trek’s proprietary TCT Carbon.” I was thinking I’d need this technology to be able to ‘Moncoutié’ and hang onto the back of the peloton

As Kenny quipped Hope you get peddles with it or you may find it hard to ride., so after a bit of maintenance and adjustment the old Sampson cleats are back in action on the new bike. After a bit of a workout on the wind trainer the knees are now reminding me that I haven’t used the cleats for a considerable time.

SPONSORS? : The Smith Family is the official charity partner for Bupa Around the Bay and we need your help to support disadvantaged Aussie kids. You can make an impact to help disadvantaged Aussie kids – have a look at the Fundraising Page.

Vuelta a España 2012

It is August, and that means Vuelta a España time! With the list of riders and reserves for the 2012 Tour released today it is time to start getting ready for this years viewing.

Vuelta a Espana/Spain/22 Days
August 18 – September 9 2012

Online

• Vuelta a España 2012
• SBS: Vuelta a Espana 2012 [SBS]
• Vuelta a España 2012 Live Dashboard [SteepHill.TV]
• Vuelta a España 2012 [Cyclingnews.com]
• Vuelta ciclista a España | Tour of Spain [Yahoo! Eurosport UK]

Think that the Tour de France is the only bike race with cow action? Well Las Vacas de la Vuelta is out to fix that preconception; follow @VacasdelaVuelta for Cows of the Vuelta.

I’m not sure if SBS will have ‘Tastes of the Vuelta’ so you may have to prepare your own tapas and sangria recipes in advance.

2012 Route
Stage 01 Saturday, August 18 2012 – Pamplona (TTT)
Stage 02 Sunday, August 19 2012 – Pamplona – Viana
Stage 03 Monday, August 20 2012 – Oion – Arrate (Eibar)
Stage 04 Tuesday, August 21 2012 – Baracaldo – Valdezcaray
Stage 05 Wednesday, August 22 2012 – Logroño
Stage 06 Thursday, August 23 2012 – Zaragoza (Tarazona) – El Fuerte del Rapitán (Jaca)
Stage 07 Friday, August 24 2012 – Jaca – Motorland (Alcañiz)
Stage 08 Saturday, August 25 2012 – Lleida – Santuario Canolich (Coll de la Gallina)
Stage 09 Sunday, August 26 2012 – Andorra – Barcelona
Rest Day 1 Monday, August 27 2012
Stage 10 Tuesday, August 28 2012 – Ponteareas – Sanxenxo?
Stage 11 Wednesday, August 29 2012 – Cambados – Pontevedra (ITT)
Stage 12 Thursday, August 30 2012 – Vilagarcía – Mirador de Ezaro (La Coruña)
Stage 13 Friday, August 31 2012 – Santiago de Compostela – Ferrol
Stage 14 Saturday, September 1 2012 – Lugo – Los Ancares
Stage 15 Sunday, September 2 2012 – La Robla – Lagos de Covadonga
Stage 16 Monday, September 3 2012 – Gijón (Villa de Jovellanos) – Cuitu Negro
Rest Day 2 Tuesday, September 4 2012
Stage 17 Wednesday, September 5 2012 – Santander – Fuente Dé
Stage 18 Thursday, September 6 2012 – Aguilar de Campoo – Valladolid
Stage 19 Friday, September 7 2012 – Peñafiel – La Lastrilla
Stage 20 Saturday, September 8 2012 – La Faisanera Golf – Bola del Mundo
Stage 21 Sunday, September 9 2012 – Cercedilla – Madrid

Bupa Around the Bay 2012 – episode 0

Around the Bay in a Day is a recreational cycling event organised by Bicycle Victoria in Victoria, Australia. Cyclists register to ride a 210 km course starting and ending in Melbourne around Port Phillip, either clockwise or anti-clockwise, catching the ferry between Queenscliff and Sorrento.
For those brave enough to tackle the 210 km, their journey begins and ends at Alexandra Gardens. Half of the riders head towards the east-side of the bay, riding to Sorrento, and the other half head west towards Queenscliff. Riders cross the bay on ferries to complete the ride. [wikipedia]

For those of you that followed the ramblings interesting posts about the Oxfam Trailwalker training and event in the [Trailwalker] Tales from the trail posts, you might not be surprised to find that I’ve managed to sign up to something else that I’m not quite prepared for

That’s right after a few drinks I have agreed to ride the ‘Around the Bay’ in team Ride for Tom. We’ll be doing the 210km Melbourne – Sorrento – (ferry) – Queenscliff – Melbourne circuit.

Lucky for me the current edition of the Bicycle Australia magazine (purchased for the Tour de France information) has a ten week 210km preparation cycle training plan – unfortunately we are now nearing the end of week 4. Oh well time to upgrade the bike, upgrade the legs and hope that some quality training occurs in the next 6 weeks.

The 20th year of Bupa Around the Bay is something special: all those years, dozens of friendships, scores of challenges and victories, and decades of precious memories.
To mark this record of achievement we are going to stamp this year’s ride with a special identity—every rider will wear the commemorative jersey.
The impact of this step will be massive with more than 17,000 riders in the same kit on the same day in the same event. [Bicycle Network Victoria]

Les Vaches du Tour – Have you been paying attention?

After hearing the story about Tejay van Garderen (BMC) not learning Dutch at home even though he has a Dutch surname, @lesvachesdutour thought we were being prepared for a P&P quiz and tweeted;

How did Tejay learn his Dutch again? #therewillbeatest [ir]

This was soon followed up with;

There was a reminder to not let all the #TdF useless facts go to waste go to the #lvdt blog to take the 2012 quiz; and then the Les Vaches du Tour Have you been paying attention? quiz appeared.

Here at Chateau VP we read through the questions, waited for the blood:caffine ratio to return to the Tour optimum (way too high), balanced the snark levels to prime, and sent in our answers.

Olympics Cycling (Time Trial)

Olympic Games Time Trial
01 Aug 12:30 (GMT+1) Women’s Individual Time Trial – Final (44km)
01 Aug 14:15 (GMT+1) Men’s Individual Time Trial – Final (29km)

* Men’s Cycling Time Trial route (PDF) [London 2012]
* Olympic men’s individual time trial start list [cyclingnews]

* Women’s Cycling Time Trial route (PDF) [London 2012]
* Olympic women’s individual time trial start list [cyclingnews]

Online

• Cycling – Road [Official London 2012 website]
• SBS: London 2012 Olympic Games [SBS]
• 2012 Olympics Road Cycling Live Dashboard [SteepHill.TV]
• 2012 Olympic Games 2012 [Cyclingnews.com]
• Olympic Cycling | London Olympics [Yahoo! Eurosport UK]
• Cycling at the 2012 Summer Olympics [wikipedia]