Handy guide to pro teams' sponsorship changes

From ErikV.

Equal prize money at Jonathan Page's Planet Bike Cup in Madison

The new UCI race in Madison this year put together by Renee Callaway will feature equal prize money for women and men:

Women racers from Juniors up to Elites will be racing for the same prize list as the men at Jonathan Page's Planet Bike Cup.

"Women train as hard, spend as much money traveling to races, and race just as hard as the men," says Renee Callaway, race director. "There's no reason why they shouldn't race for the same prize payout."

Jonathan Page's Planet Bike Cup is part of the Wisconsin Cycling Association (WCA) cyclocross series. The WCA series also offers equal prize payouts for male and female racers. This has helped develop a strong contingent of female racers including Team Planet Bike's National Champions Diane Ostenso (50-54) and Anna Young (17-18).

WCA cyclocross races are always a blast - be sure to head over this year if you haven't yet! Unfortunately the UCI race is on a busy weekend, with the Duluth cyclocross series in MN too.

This and that

Went running again today and dialed up the pace over the last time. No pikas today, just chipmunks, although I saw one critter with no chipmunk stripes, but no pika ears either, so I'm not sure what it was (too small to be a prairie dog).

I'm really into the reimagined Battlestar Galactica, and tonight we'll watch the final episode until the season resumes in January. After that I'll be able to check out the fan sites without worrying about spoilers. Yes, I'm a nerd, but that's not news to anyone that knows me. It's as interesting as a good book, politically relevant, philosophically stimulating, with neat special effects and hot Cylon chicks (and guys) too. The characters are complex and real, not simply good vs. evil. Seriously, what more could you want?

Physical therapy is coming along, but as remarkable as all the little improvements each day are, I want to be fit again! Once I'm "normal" I still have to work my way back up to the fitness, strength and flexibility I had before the crash. Fortunately, I've had good sports doctors that understand what it's like for an athlete. I'll be so happy when I can sprint on the road bike, shoulder the cross bike for a runup and jump into bakasana in yoga class. To stick with the nerdiness: "patience, young jedi."

Another potential doper caught at the Tour. I'm not liking how they're guilty until proven innocent, especially with the proven outrageous incompetence of the labs, but it looks like confidence is slowly being restored to the Tour and the sport in general. But really, at a time when our justice system is under extreme duress, how about at least waiting for the B sample results before declaring yourself judge, jury and executioner, armchair pundits?

17 teams will not seek ProTour licenses for '09

D'oh!

Unusually well-put comment on doping

From David Millar via Velonews:

Jeannie Longo

Jeannie Longo continues to amaze and inspire. At 49 years old, she just won the French national road AND time trial championships last week - that's the elite overall, not an age category. She took 2nd at the Mount Hood Cycling Classic in May, missing 1st only because of a controversial UCI nitpick about her handlebar angle, beating out the best of the best 20- and 30-something racers in North America. Now she's won the individual pursuit on the track, and she'll be representing France in the Olympics for the SEVENTH time! Cyclingnews:

Longo is the most successful women's cyclist of all time. During her career she has won 13 world titles, as well as four Olympic Games medals; with silver medals in the 1992 Barcelona, Spain road race and 1996 time trial, a bronze in the Sydney, Australia Olympic Games time trail in 2000 joining her gold from Atlanta.

Longo has also claimed an impressive 10 UCI World Track Championship medals, including four golds. Nine of those medals were for the three-kilometre pursuit, with one coming in the points race at the 1989 event in Lyon, France.

You go girl!

Unsubscribe

Everyone who spoils Tour results before the end of the day is getting unsubscribed from RSS. Not that anyone should care about my one hit per day, but it's courteous to put something like "spoilers ahead" in the title or first line so people can skip it.

Toyota-United summarizes the NVGP

From the Toyota-United Pro Cycling Team Newsletter June 2008 mailing:

Two days later we were in Minnesota at and [sic] the Nature Valley Grand Prix race, where we were defending champions with Ivan Stevic winning the overall title in 2007. This was probably the most frustrating week of the season as we started the race with 150+ riders on a one K crit course in St. Paul during a thunderstorm. The resulting mayhem saw the race cancelled after 25 minutes of non-stop crashing…our team alone had five crashes before a referee motorcycle took out three riders and everyone sat up. To summarize our frustration we broke three bikes at Nature Valley while setting up finishing lead outs…when guys sprint right into the back of a bike and break the seat stays you know it’s not your day. In the end, Ivan Stevic ended up in 3rd place overall 15 seconds behind Rory Sutherland of Health Net Presented by Maxxis.

Stillwater Crit

Colavita riding super aggressive in Minneapolis and Stillwater

"Don't hate...

...appreciate"

Tongue out picking the perfect line - turning the pedals in ANGER!

Minneapolis Downtown Classic

So girlfriend and I drive (how I hate having to drive everywhere now!) downtown for the race. After grabbing some Chipotle we stake out a spot at the corner into a nasty headwind for the racers, and I'm hoping to get some good pictures and catch any crashes (and yet hoping there aren't any!). Fortunately there aren't any, and the women race safely, at least through that section. It's also a great spot for cheering. Each lap, however, we're looking out for local hero Teresa Moriarty, and she's not there! We'll hear some rumors later about why not, but there are plenty of cheers available for Linda Sone now, and it's awesome seeing her work her way up each lap! I note how Linda's normally bubbly countenance turns into a mask of intense focus and pain on the bike. (Wow, that was almost poetic!) She and teammate Shana are working hard and working well together, and end up finishing safely up in the field. I don't know Shana well, but looking at the GC she must have done well in the TT and road race as she's very well placed overall.

For the men's race we met up with the Birchwood crew up on the roof of Brit's. My shoulder was hurting after my first day without the sling, so I was hoping a beer would make me forget about it. In between socializing, I saw the results of a lot of crashes, as the pit was located just below us. One crash apparently took out a big chunk of the field, as they all had to jump back in the race at that point. I cringe. Colavita is clearly the most aggressive, sending attacks that stick for many laps time and time again. Rock Racing gets lots of attention - the girls like the "bad boy" image and the guys are checking out the flashy graphics. Love him or hate him, Michael Ball knows how to draw attention! I also chatted with a new(?) Birchwoodie that I met during a karma yoga project that reminded me again of how much I miss yoga as well. On the other hand, if it weren't for yoga, I'd be in worse shape (physically and mentally) than I am now.

By now my shoulder is cramping pretty bad and the wind has taken its toll on my t-shirt clad body, so we skip the party on the wrong side of the bowling green and head home. I'll be so happy when I can have my normal life back!

NVGP St. Paul Lowertown Criterium report round up

Can "epic" be used for a non-cyclocross race? In the end the results from the women's race will not be counted, and the men's race was called after a moto crashed in addition to numerous other crashes. Weather-hardened Minnesota racers managed to survive well though as far as I've heard so far, so congratulations are due for some excellent skills!

Official results - women
Reports:
Cyclingnews (with pics from Frank Rowe and Matt Moses)
James Lockwood on Bikethrow
Dan Swanson (local racer Grandstay)
Linda Sone (local racer Flanders)
Doug Swanson (local racer Grandstay)
Sue Butler (Portland racer River City)
Ian Stanford (local racer Grandstay)
Jenn Reither (announcer/former racer)
Pete Hanna (local fan/racer)

Team Type 1

My cousin died earlier this month of diabetes. She was my age, and lived longer than was projected for someone born in 1969 with Type 1 (insulin-dependent, inherited) diabetes. My younger cousin is doing well so far. Research has come a long way, but there's a long way yet to go. That's why I'll be rooting for these guys at the NVGP. I hope you will too!

Real men wear pink

How now TdF??

Photo ©: Roberto Bettini www.bettiniphoto.net

Sportsmanship

From Cyclingnews:

The Italian could easily have stayed close to the barriers to prevent Cavendish from getting through, but chose instead to ease over to the left, opening the way for the 23-year-old. "I said thanks as I went past with 100 metres to go," Cavendish revealed. "I have to say again, 'thanks.' It is great sportsmanship and we are able to see who is the fastest."

"If I would have done that I would have risked Cavendish crashing, and I prefer to be correct than to win another stage," explained Bennati. "The sprint was more adapted to Cavendish, who is very explosive. ... I am a little disappointed."

It's good to read about the positive, professional and sportmanlike aspects of pro cycling. More attention to that and less on the latest scandal would be a good thing.

Bennati's $90,000 bike

I've heard monocoque molds cost about $90,000, so add that to the build itself and you've got a six figure bike. Interesting story, especially since I have a similar problem with fit. He paid back Cannondale's investment with his win yesterday though!

Is it me...

...or is there a lot of crashing and injuries going on lately? Maybe I'm just more aware of it now.

People suck

Twenty cyclists, including one Olympic hopeful, hurt after conflict with irate driver in Australia.

Her father, 1984 Olympic gold medalist Kevin Nichols, said the cyclists were traveling at about 60 kilometres (37 miles) per hour when the car began swerving into the pack.

"He sped ahead and pulled in front of the pack. I though, 'Uh oh' and began warning riders around me to slow down," he told The Daily Telegraph.

"Then suddenly he slammed the brakes on and it was too late for anyone to get out of the way."

Fascinating view from inside the peloton

As anyone that follows pro racing knows, there's a code of silence within the peloton regarding doping. It's fascinating to read a well thought out piece from a recently retired pro racer about the state of cycling now. Check it out here.

Astana for Giro, Rock Racing for NVGP

A double dose of exciting pro cycling news today. Rumor has it that Astana may get a last-minute invite to the Giro after all!

The report claimed Astana’s participation would depend on the inclusion of Contador, American Levi Leipheimer and German ace Andreas Klöden, all three of whom have finished on the Tour de France podium.
via Velonews

In other news, our favorite bad boy racing team is confirmed for the NVGP. Wonder if they'll bring their podium girls?

Great River Energy Bike Festival Featuring the Nature Valley Grand Prix Launches Two New Blogs for Cycling Enthusiasts

Minneapolis (April 7, 2008) – The Great River Energy Bike Festival, which features the Nature Valley Grand Prix pro stage race, announced today the launch of two new blog sites devoted to the nine-day festival, which runs June 7 - 15, 2008. While one blog features views from inside pro racing by past Nature Valley Grand Prix racers, the other will provide a wealth of advice that will help all cyclist take their own riding to a higher level. The blogs are accessible through the festival’s primary web site at: www.minnbikefest.com.

“The future of the web is interactivity and we’re excited to be part of that trend”, said Festival director David LaPorte. “People today don’t want to just sit and read, they want to be part of a conversation. Our new blogs will let cyclists interact with top pro racers, team managers, coaches and sports scientists. These are views of cycling that you’ll find no where else and will help our fans understand the sport more deeply and improve their own cycling. We’re creating an on-line community and inviting everyone to join.”

This year’s blogs include:

TRIA Orthopedic Center’s Your Cycling Blog: TRIA Orthopedic Center’s Your Cycling Blog features the kind of information all cyclists can use to improve their own cycling, from training tips and nutrition to gear suggestions and much more. Novices and experienced cyclists will gain insights from noted sports and health professionals, including TRIA Orthopedic Center staff physicians and physical therapists. Other contributors include, Larry Foss, the USA Cycling National Team’s massage therapist, Stephen McCarthy of Gear & Training and Dan Carey, a professor of exercise physiology at the University of Saint Thomas as well as a former New York Mets pitcher..

The TRIA Orthopedic Center’s Your Cycling Blog can be found at www.minnbikefestival.com/blog/triayourcycling/

Pro Cycling Minnesota Blog: Past and future participants in the Festival’s professional stage race, the Nature Valley Grand Prix, will make up the editorial panel of Pro Cycling Minnesota. This blog will highlight the strategies,
tactics and war stories from the top cyclists and team managers in North American cycling. Fans can feel the thrill of riding in the peloton of a USA Grand Tour from a racer’s perspective. Pro Cycling Minnesota
contributors include team directors, Giana Roberge and Jeff Corbett, racers John Lieswyn, Teresa Moriarty, Meredith Miller and more,.

The Pro Cycling Minnesota blog can be found at: www.minnbikefestival.com/blog/procyclingmn/

The Great River Energy Bicycle Festival, featuring the Nature Valley Grand Prix pro stage race, is free and open to the public. It is the only professional sports event in Minnesota in which no ticket is required. Cyclists, sports enthusiasts, and families will love the energy, excitement and activities the Great River Energy Bicycle Festival provides.

Note: Events are subject to change. The Great River Energy Bicycle Festival takes place June 7-15, 2008. Now in its 10th year, it is one of the nation’s top celebrations of bicycle culture in the country. Ranked as the premier stage race on the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar, the 2008 Nature Valley Grand Prix schedule includes stops in Saint Paul, Cannon Falls, Minneapolis, Mankato and Stillwater, June 11 – 15. The Great River Energy Bicycle Festival is a volunteer-run event, with all proceeds donated to Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, the festival’s benefiting charity.

For more information, visit: www.minnbikefestival.com.

About Nature Valley
Nature Valley, the brand that created the granola bar category in 1975, brings variety to healthy, active consumers looking for wholesome and great-tasting snacks. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Nature Valley is part of General Mills, a leading global manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products.

About Great River Energy
Great River Energy is a non-profit electric cooperative providing wholesale electric energy and related services to 28 distribution cooperatives serving nearly 1.5 million people in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Headquartered in Maple Grove, Minn., Great River Energy is the second largest utility in Minnesota and the fifth largest utility of its type in the country.

TRIA Orthopedic Center
TRIA Orthopedic Center is a state-of-the-science partnership of Park Nicollet Health Services, University of Minnesota Physicians and The Orthopedic Center. This revolutionary facility delivers orthopedic treatment, surgery, rehabilitation, therapy, pharmacy, research and physician education—all under one roof. TRIA is conveniently located at France Avenue and I-494. To contact TRIA Orthopedic Center, call
952-831-8742 or visit www.tria.com.