Final list of teams for Tour de Georgia.

Cycling News: Teams finalised for Tour de Georgia.

A total of 18 teams have been signed up to ride the inaugural Tour de Georgia, which takes place from April 22-27. Sidermec, Flanders IteamNova and Formaggi Pinzolo Fiave are the most recent additions to the list, which includes Rabobank and a Dutch national team, as well as the main U.S. and Canadian teams. The full team list is as follows:

7UP/Nutra Fig
Colavita-Bolla
Flanders IteamNova
Formaggi Pinzolo Fiave
Jelly Belly/Carlsbad Clothing
Jittery Joe's Coffee
Navigators
Netherlands national team
Ofoto/Lombardi Sports
Prime Alliance
Rabobank
Saturn
Schroeder Iron
Sierra Nevada/Cannondale
Sidermec
Team West Virginia
U.S. Postal Service presented by Berry Floor
Webcor/Alto Velo

The name of the race still seems stupid. How about "Ya'll's Tour of Gawga."

      

Get you own $850 trike!

Cycling News: Litespeed.

[F]or the toddler who has everything, Litespeed has re-issued the titanium tricycle. Originally released in 1997, Litespeed claims the wee trikes have become collector's items, with eager mums and dads willing to pay over US$1000 for an original.

Starting in March, however, the 2003 edition trike comes in at US$850. It's made from 3/2.5 and 6/4 titanium, with new compact geometry, CNC-engraved and anodized aluminum fork rolling on a Cane Creek C2 headset. Could your kid want more?

These used to be hot items for the Litespeed crowd. Many bikeshops actually had them in stock so that the employees could race around the store on them.

      

Cannondale Bicycles files for bankruptcy.

Inside Triathlon: Cannondale to file for Bankruptcy.

Cycling News Cannnondale files for Bankruptcy.

Wow! Cannondale used to be a big hitter. It looks like management made some very bad decisions. The motorsports division is certainly dragging the company down. I can also look back to few years ago when the national sales rep and a VP tried to preassure a local bike shop, which was one of the largest Cdale dealers in the country, into changing it sales practices. The shop began pushing Giant and Merlin because they were so pissed off. When I sold bikes on weekends, I thought the national sales rep was a dick, and so made an effort not to sell Cdales. I didn't want any money going into his pocket.

"Cannondale has also reached an agreement in principle with Pegasus Partners II, L.P. to sell substantially all of its assets to Pegasus Partners, subject to better and higher offers and court approval. Pegasus would operate the bicycle business with the involvement of current management and would purchase separately the Company's motorsports assets, including the intellectual property related to the design of Cannondale's motorsports products."

At least GT could blame everything on the guy running the company dying.

      

You have to love great customer service.

I had a very old CycleOps fluid trainer so that I can "ride" my bicycle indoors. This trainer was at least 8 years old, and I had used it well. Now I have heard many stories about CycleOps fluid trainers begining to leak, but mine had been rock solid. Well, it finally began leaking. It began leaking puddles of fluid. Luckily, it does have a lifetime warranty. So I call CycleOps at Graber Products, the company's new owner. They explain that they bought CycleOps a few years ago, and have since changed the designs significantly. They cannot repair it, but they offer me a warranty upgrade. For $100, and my old fluid unit, I get their new Fluid2 trainer, a $300 trainer. I hop all over that deal, 'cause that is what I really wanted. I send them my old fluid unit, tracking it through UPS I see they get the delivery on the 6th, and on the 9th I am riding my new trainer. The turn around time was incredible. The Fluid 2 is a very well designed piece of equipment. At a nice steady speed its volume is lower than a whisper and the resistance is smooth and steeply progressive at higher speeds.

I am one happy camper!

      

Salon's Kaufman argues Serena Williams as Sports Person of the Year Award.

Since I know that Lance Armstrong was not even the best cyclist last year, I won't get into a debate about Lance vs. Serena. I won't even argue how to define sportsman or sportswoman vs. athlete, which I feel are different. Lets get to the really stupid statement.

.....he won one race in a sport so obscure that most Americans can't even name another of its events, and so limited that its skill set can be described thusly: pedaling fast and not falling over.

Uhh,.. well no. That is not really correct on several points.

Obscure events? To most Americans, yes. I suppose most Europeans could not many many football teams other than the Dallas Cowboys. I think most people in the world knows who the US Postal Teams is now. At least in Europe.

Lance not only has to pedal fast and not fall over to win a grand tour he needs to be able to pedal fast for long periods of time, up mountains, down mountains at 60+ miles an hour into really nasty curves on them, by himself, with a team, and with a peloton. Physically, he has to train to be able climb, time trial, and even sprint. Most great riders cannot become great grand tour riders because their body cannot take the abuse for three weeks.

Mentally there is a lot going on also. As a team leader he has to instruct his team on how to race. He has to be a race general. (You don't think Michael Vick just tells everybody to run around until they are open, do you?) There is much strategy in a grand tour; for the whole race, for each stage, for each mountain climb. Strategy will change as teams attack, or riders withdraw.

Saying the skill set needed to win the Tour is being able to pedaling fast and not falling over is like saying that the only skill set needed to win a major tennis tournament is to run fast and hit a yellow ball over net. It is asinine.

Of course I would never really take any column or article from Salon on sports seriously. I don't think watching TV and knowing how to type is all that is needed in the skill set to be a sports reporter or columnist.

Update: And of course Kaufman is getting flamed, but I have a feeling that is what he was hoping for.

      

Old Cycling photos.

I just posted a few old cycling photos from the late '90's. Of interest to bike geeks only.

      

Who was the athlete of the year?

Well, you have to get the correct people on the list. For the men, at least they included Lance Armstrong and Barry Bonds. Mario Cipollini was more dominant than Lance in cycling this year, winning more grand tour stages and the World Championships. He should have at least made the list. To have a women's list without Paula Radcliff is moronic, however. She only shattered the Women's world marathon record this year, as well as dominated on the track.

Super Mario, aka the Lion King.

Paula Radcliffe.