Swimming is a marquis sport in the summer Olympics. Even removing certain events in the swim program would limit the possibility of a repeat of what we saw last summer when Michael Phelps won all of those golds.

While I can’t swim very well at all and am a cyclist, I believe that would be robbing people of the possibility to see magic happen again. In the end, the people suffering would be the general public which is the intended viewing audience for the Olympics, not cyclists. The IOC would get more exposure and networks more bang for their buck with swimming, not the 500 or kilo which are two events that most people care very little about.
James E. Wolverton

Pure competition
Dear Editors,
I’d like to offer an explanation as to the number of swimming events in the Olympics. Swimming, track and field, boxing, and wrestling are the three pure (or natural) competitive events which require no technology, and with the exception of field events require no equipment.

True these events currently involve technological advances, but each can be contested without. As I understand it, the original Olympics included all these except swimming (also included equestrian events). Swimming can be grouped with these other events because it is competition of man vs. man and nothing else. Therefore it is pure competition. Swimming, running, and wrestling were originally for survival and the creation of the Olympics elevated the survival of the fittest to simply who is the fittest. This doesn’t explain why there are so many individual events in swimming but it may explain why swimming is so important to the Olympics.
Ben Faulk
Winston-Salem, North Carolina

How much money?
Editor:
With the media releases regarding who has left one team, signed to another, or stuck around, I am reminded of a nagging question as to the salary that professional cyclists make? How come there is not more disclosure by teams or mention of salaries in the articles about who ends up on what team (e.g., how much Contador makes for sticking with Astana)? Seems like something us nosy cycling buffs deserve to know.

Sincerely,
James Pettengill
Washington, D.C.

We have noticed the absence of definitive numbers, too. Cycling, it seems, is not quite as open with contract details as are Major League Baseball and the NFL – which seem to report salary details right along with the Dow Jones Industrial Average. In cycling, the media tends to do more speculating about contract figures than they do actual reporting. In Contador’s case, we’ve seen the speculation vary widely – to the tune of 8 million Euros a year, either way. One thing we can probably say with certainty, though, is that Alberto won’t spend 2010 wondering if he can pay his mortgage every month. – Editor

A Forum fan feels lost
Editors,
I haven’t got a real opinion about the new format yet, however I can’t find the Forum anywhere, and that is one of my favourite sections.
Bruce Dowell
Calgary, Alberta

Bruce, we agree. The Forum is an ideal venue for fans to get together to chat, toss out ideas or pose questions. For the next few days, the link to the Forum (located at the top of the page on the right side of the banner) will direct you to the old Forum. Our crack technical crew will soon finish up work on the new and improved Forum and we’ll be relying on you to help us work out the kinks. Once it’s all up and running, you will probably have to re-register, but the old posts will be archived and you can search through for past nuggets of wisdom and insight. – Editor

If this is you, then gosh, you’re in luck! Take the following steps and you’ll be rested, chipper, and on your way home in no-time-flat.

Begin by rolling over and over again in bed for approximately 10 minutes in order to truly convince yourself that you are in fact wide awake. Next why not get dressed and stroll around the hotel lobby, restaurant, and bar looking for day-old newspapers or surly drunk businessmen who may be in the same stranded position as you are. If you find the latter, try (although not very hard) to strike up a late night conversation for both of your entertainment.

From here it’s recommended you return to your room and watch TV anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours. Don’t worry, it will be approximately 4:00am by now so there is plenty of time to waste yet! CNN International, BBC, random German channels, and MTV are all highly recommended here.

Given the chance, fire up your Blackberry’s Gmail chat function and carry on various conversations with people throughout the world. Recommended topics of conversations include:

- training advice or a recap of the week’s team activities with your coach

- startlingly ignorant peoples’ take on global warming

- delicious drinks new to you, such as the Moscow Mule

- yule logs (the holiday dessert, not the “holiday crackler” as suggested by a recent NYTimes crossword clue)

- your mother’s upcoming sixtieth birthday celebration (!)

- medical school exams

- plans for upcoming holidays

- orange (burnt orange, that is) pants

- Monday Night Football. This works especially well if it is fact Monday night in the time zone of the person(s) with whom you’re speaking.

By now your television, which is there mostly for background noise anyway, has mysteriously lost its connection so it’s exclusively spewing fuzzy “snow” and static-like noises. Furthermore after juggling these conversations with as many as a half dozen people at a time, it is likely nearly 5:00am, and despite still being wide (and I still mean WIDE) awake, feel free to take another crack at sleep.

Shut off the television, bid adieu to your chat buddies, roll around in bed a bit more, and get some sleep.

G’night!

Oh, and if you wake up just two hours later and still can’t sleep, be sure to write a How-To guide on your Blackberry. A successful entry will be rife with sarcasm but still remain 100 percent truthful information. Additionally, the finger dexterity required for this task is a fun test of your mental acuity based on how the previous ten hours have unfolded!
Sent from my phone

This photo was taken Friday afternoon during a VeloNews photoshoot. Sometime over the weekend, one of these bikes was stolen. Photo: Brad Kaminski.

Someone made off with a Team Trek-Livestrong time trial bike this weekend, swiping it from Lance Armstrong’s Mellow Johnny’s bike shop in Austin.

The Trek Equinox TTX SSL, which was used by team member Ryan Baumann during the 2009 season, was being stored in the future home of the Team RadioShack U.S. Service Course, in the same building as the bike shop.

Store sales manager Ted Arnold said the space was broken into early Sunday, and police initially thought nothing had been stolen. But Arnold was pretty sure there was one bike gone. He counted bikes in photos taken at the shop Friday afternoon by VeloNews photo editor Brad Kaminski and realized Baumann’s bike was gone.

The bike has custom-painted Bontrager aero bars and has Baumann’s name on the top tube. It has a Bontrager Aeolus 90 front wheel and a Zipp disc rear. It’s worth roughly $10,000 and is owned by Trek Bicycle.

Arnold said the shop hopes to use Twitter to enlist people to help find the bike, much as Armstrong used it to help recover his stolen TT bike at the Tour of California earlier this year.

Anyone with information on the bike should call store general manager Craig Staley at (512) 473-0222.

New York, NY (November 24, 2009) – Champion System is proud to announce a partnership with Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride as their official clothing supplier for 2010.  Soldier Ride provides physical rehabilitation and emotional healing for wounded warriors through cycling. The segmented rides also raise public awareness for the needs of today’s wounded warriors. All participants are provided with the adaptive equipment they need to cycle. Inspired by the Wounded Warrior Project’s mission to honor and empower wounded warriors, Champion System made the decision to become the official clothing supplier for the 2010 Soldier Ride program, which will include nine segments in 27 cities across the country.

“Champion System was founded on my passion and my partners’ passion for cycling.  We are all cycling weekend warriors and honored to be involved with Wounded Warrior Project’s Soldier Ride”, says Scott Kaylin, president of Champion System.  “I am proud of our men and women in the armed forces and it’s great to be involved with a program that gives back to them,” continues Kaylin.

In addition to supplying the jerseys for their official rides, Champion System has developed an array of Soldier Ride gear and apparel for public availability. A percentage of the profits will be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project. Items for purchase include the official jersey, bib, wind jacket, wind vest, tech cap, and cycling gloves.

“Wounded Warrior Project is thankful for Champion Systems generous support of Soldier Ride,” said Steve Nardizzi, executive director of the Wounded Warrior Project. “We truly believe these types of adaptive sports activities greatly assist these warriors during their healing process.

To purchase gear and other official merchandise including laptop and phone covers, visit http://champ-sys.com/retail/wounded-warrior <http://champ-sys.com/retail/wounded-warrior> . For more information on Wounded Warrior Project, please visit www.woundedwarriorproject.org <http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org> .

The Pro Mountain Bike Cross Country Tour is back for its second year with six races in 2010.

The Pro XCT will feature six UCI-sanctioned events in California, Alabama, Wisconsin and Colorado. In 2009, Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski was the series overall winner for the men and Catharine Pendrel took the top spot for women.

Along with top cross-country racing, the Pro XCT presented by US Cup aims to provide world-class athletes with a consistent stage on which to accumulate UCI ranking points and top prize purses.

The UCI points up for grabs at each Pro XCT event are crucial in helping the United States qualify the maximum number of mountain biking start spots for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, as well as start order at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.

“The Pro XCT not only creates opportunity and increases exposure for our athletes here at home but it also helps ensure U.S. athletes the maximum opportunity for success on the sport’s highest stage,” said Marc Gullickson, of USA Cycling. “The UCI points these events offer directly dictate the number of start spots the U.S. will receive in mountain biking events at the 2012 Olympic Games in London as well as improve start order at the Mountain Bike World Championships annually.”

In addition to providing a sequence of international-caliber events where elite cross country racers can earn UCI points, the Pro XCT seeks to spotlight top American races, raise the level of competitive racing in the U.S., and recognize the best cross country teams and athletes competing on U.S. soil. In order for individual riders or teams to earn points toward the overall Pro XCT titles, they must be registered as a UCI Trade Team or as a USA Cycling Mountain Bike Domestic Pro Team. The Pro XCT will provide leaders’ jerseys to the top male and female rider in the overall standings, leaders’ number plates and a guaranteed cash purse for each race.

Zubeldia in the 2009 Paris-Nice time trial. Photo: AFP

Haimar Zubeldia says switching to RadioShack and leaving behind compatriot Alberto Contador at Astana is what’s best for him right now.

The veteran Basque all-rounder, who twice finished fifth in the Tour de France, was among 26 riders revealed Monday for Team RadioShack for next season.

Some commentators in Spain might question the move to follow sport director Johan Bruyneel and seven-time Tour champ Lance Armstrong to RadioShack, but Zubeldia says he has to watch out for his own interests right now.

“I am aware that my decision will not be welcomed by everyone,” Zubeldia told Europa Press. “I know that some are trying to put me in the middle of the rivalry between Alberto and Lance, but I have to look out for what’s best for me. I have always followed the orders of the team.”

After riding his entire career with Euskaltel-Euskadi, Zubeldia switched to Astana for 2009 only to find himself caught in the middle of a bitter feud between Contador and Armstrong.

Zubeldia tried to stay out of the line of fire and rode without taking sides, all at the expense of his own personal, GC ambitions at the Tour.

When Zubeldia made the switch to Astana, he was attracted by the chance to ride for Johan Bruyneel. Following the discord between Bruyneel and the Astana brass, Zubeldia remained committed to the Belgian director when he, Armstrong and others marched to create RadioShack.

“When I made the change from Euskaltel to Astana, I signed with the team of Johan Bruyneel,” he said. “Now this group has gone to a new team, and for that, my first option has always been RadioShack. Johan has always shown his confidence and interest in me.”

Now 32, Zubeldia was content to slip into the role of super-domestique and ride under the guidance of Bruyneel.

“I have always admired Bruyneel. He has always led important teams,” he said. “Now, after one year of working with him, I have seen that my vision of him has proven correct. He has a big capacity to direct and a big vision of the race, among other positive things.”

]]> http://velonews.competitor.com/2009/11/news/zubeldia-%e2%80%98radioshack-best-place-for-me%e2%80%99_101622/feed 4 http://velonews.competitor.com/2009/11/cyclocross/technical-faq-cyclocross-tire-gluing-and-pressure_101619 http://velonews.competitor.com/2009/11/cyclocross/technical-faq-cyclocross-tire-gluing-and-pressure_101619#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:37:45 +0000 Lennard Zinn http://velonews.competitor.com/?p=101619

A hand-held gauge is always more accurate than one on a pump.

Dear Lennard,
Your article on gluing ‘cross tires gluing ‘cross tires was well written, per usual. Your “lift my feet up off the ground” tip has been useful to me going back almost 20 years (and that came after ten years or so of occasionally blistered thumbs).

I just note, though, that the tire pressures you mention in the article relate to the road bike context, not ‘cross. Some (young?) readers may be confused.
-David

Dear David,
Thanks for catching that (and thanks to the other readers who also pointed this out). When I did this column late last Monday night (it’s late on a Monday night once again – when will I ever actually get these done in advance?), I cut and pasted the tubular gluing section from “Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance” into it. Then I edited it to apply specifically to cyclocross from there, but I did not edit the inflation pressure from my recommendations for road racing tubulars.

So here’s the bottom line: it’s not a great idea to inflate cyclocross tubulars over 75 psi or so, and while doing so may not actually damage the casing of premium tires, it will round the tire out more, thus further decreasing the contact with the bottom of the rim bed, which generally has a smaller radius of curvature.
-Lennard

Dear Lennard,
With the low tire pressures typically used in ‘cross applications, it seems as though a few psi can make a significant difference in traction and performance. Consequently, I’m wondering just how useful the gauges are on my (and most?) pumps. Do you have a particularly accurate, stand-alone tire gauge that you would recommend to check pressures?
-John

Dear John,
You’ve hit on one of my pet peeves that I shake my head at – people using the gauge on their pump to determine tire pressure in a cyclocross tire, particularly for low pressure in a tubular. You need to use a separate gauge if you want to measure even close to accurately.

When you pump a tire, the gauge on the pump is at the base end of the hose, and it is measuring the pressure in the hose. With each pump, the needle swings up as the piston creates higher pressure than in the tire to overcome the seal on the tire valve and create a pressure gradient to force more air into the tire. Then the needle drops after the piston has reached the bottom of the pump barrel. So what do you read? Clearly not the spike in pressure as it blows the valve open. And if you read the pressure after the piston has completed its plunge, you are reading the pressure in the hose, which now has nothing to do with what is in the tire, since the tire’s valve has sealed off once air stopped flowing in. If you just leave the pump to sit, that pressure continues to drop as the air bleeds out of the hose, but the tire’s pressure has not changed.

Get a separate tire gauge. German digital ones, like from SKF and Schwalbe, are nice and give you a clear, accurate reading until you get them wet and fog the little viewing window. They are slower to use than one with a needle, due to turn on/off and resetting. But they seal better than many of those with a needle. I have one with a needle that I love that has a long, brass nipple that fits great on the shafts of valve extenders that you screw the valve core back into. I have other needle types that have a smaller seal trying to just seal on the valve’s top threads, but the flats on removable valve cores on tubulars render these ineffective. I have as many that I hate as that I love, which is a good reason not to order them, as I did. You should try the thing out in the shop, on your tire, then buy it.
-Lennard

Will he be on Astana?

The Astana cycling team may have hit another hurdle in its efforts to re-secure its ProTour license after the UCI gave the team 24 hours to produce a formal bank guarantee before it will approve the team’s renewal.

The team’s license is effective through the 2010 season, but this year the UCI licensing commission has required all existing ProTour teams to undergo annual review before being allowed to maintain that status.

Last month, the team missed another new requirement, an October 20 deadline to supply the commission with relevant financial and management documents. While many of those documents were submitted last week, in time for the commission’s license review, a $22 million commitment from the Kazakh government to the team was not enough to allay concerns triggered by Astana’s financial difficulties earlier this year.

The cash infusion initially appeared to finalize the team’s contract with Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, who had been very publicly voicing his dissatisfaction with Astana.

On Tuesday, however, the UCI said it needed more evidence of the Kazakh’s commitment, requiring the team to produce a bank guarantee by Wednesday.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Nikoli Proskurin, the deputy president of the Kazakh Cycling Federation, characterized the demand as unreasonable and said he was uncertain as to whether or not the team could meet the deadline.

Proskurin said the team is being forced to meet arbitrary standards that have not been made of other ProTour programs.

“It seems to me that they don’t want an Asian team in the ProTour, and for it to beat European teams,” Proskurin told the AP.

The commission began reviewing the documents of several teams last Friday, although no formal announcement of those teams’ status is expected until December.

Should the commission revoke Astana’s license, the most immediate impact will be on Contador’s contract. His agreement to ride for Astana in 2010 is contingent upon the team retaining its ProTour status and a failure to resecure that position among the world’s top teams would mean he’s free to sign a contract with another squad.

Final Men’s standings | Click for: Final Women’s standings

Johnson wrapped up his NACT win with two wins in Southampton, New York. Photo: Karl Ockert

Elliott, here at the Toronto race, dominated the early part of the season. Photo: Jan Safka

1. Tim Johnson Cyclocrossworld.com / Cannondale 425 points
2. Jeremy Powers Cyclocrossworld.com / Cannondale 314 points
3. James Driscoll Cyclocrossworld.com / Cannondale 289 points
4. Jonathan Page Planet Bike 190 points
5. Christopher Jones Champion System 120 points
6. Andy Jacques-Maynes Bissell Pro Cycling 103 points
7. Christian Heule Rendementhypo Cycling Team 100 points
8. Jesse Anthony Jamis Bicycles 92 points
9. Derrick St John Garneau Club Chaussure Ogilvy 87 points
10. Joachim Parbo Ccv Leopard Cycles 78 points
11. Adam Craig Giant Mtb Team 73 points
12. Ryan Trebon Kona – Fsa 68 points
13. Mike Garrigan La Bicicleta 54 points
14. Tyler Trace Trek Red Truck 50 points
15. Troy Wells Clif Bar 46 points
16. Andrew Watson Norco Factory Team 42 points
17. Tristan Schouten Planet Bike 40 points
18. Aaron Schooler Team H&r Block-Kona 38 points
19. Carl Decker Giant Mtb Team 38 points
20. Valentin Sherz Procycles Scott Newwork 35 points
21. Jeremy Horgan-Kobelski Gary Fisher 34 points
22. Danny Summerhill Felt-Holowesko Partners 30 points
23. Russell Stevenson Benaroya Research Institute Cycling Team 30 points
24. Geoff Kabush Maxxis/rocky Mtn Bikes 25 points
25. Davide Frattini Team Fuji 24 points
26. Jerome Townsend Bikereg.com / Joe’s Garage / If 16 points
27. Dan Timmerman Richard Sachs/rgm Watches/radix 16 points
28. Luke Keogh Champion System 14 points
29. Chris Sheppard Santa Cruz Wtb/ Shimano/ Notubes 14 points
30. Craig Richey Blue Competition Cycles P/b Neverblue 14 points
31. Zach Mcdonald 13 points
32. Barry Wicks Kona – Fsa 13 points
33. Tim Van Nuffel Rendementhypo Cycling Team 12 points
34. Joshua Dillon Richard Sachs/rgm Watches/radix 12 points
35. Ryan Iddings Lapierre Usa 10 points
36. Osmond Bakker 10 points
37. Brandon Dwight Boulder Cycle Sport 10 points
38. Mark Batty 10 points
39. Jared Stafford 9 points
40. James Lalonde 8 points
41. Jake Wells Mafia Racing 8 points
42. Molly Cameron Portland Bicycle Studio 6 points
43. Drew Mackenzie Island Racing Club 6 points
44. Sean Babcock Team S&m 4 points
45. Peter Weber Boulder Cycle Sport 4 points
46. Shannon Skerritt The Vanilla Workshop/speedvagen Racing 4 points
47. William Dugan Team Type 1 3 points
48. Matt Pacocha Hudz/subaru 3 points
49. Andrew Wulfkuhle C3-Athletes Serving Athletes 2 points
50. Adam Myerson Team Mountain Khakis 2 points
51. Greg Reain 2 points
52. Logan Wetzel Benaroya Research Institute Cycling Team 2 points
53. Cameron Jette 2 points
54. Morgan Schmitt Bissell Pro Cycling 1 points
55. Kyle Douglas 1 points
56. Brady Kappius Clif Bar 0 points
57. Michael Broderick Seven Cycles/kenda No-Tubes
58. Ryan Hopping United Cycle

Women’s standings | Click for: Men’s standings

1. Natasha Elliott Garneau Club Chaussure Ogilvy 278 points
2. Amy Dombroski Clement/primus Mootry 208 points
3. Sue Butler Cannondale/monavie 145 points
4. Alison Dunlap Luna Chix 130 points
5. Katie Compton Planet Bike 120 points
6. Kelly Emmett Giant 110 points
7. Georgia Gould Luna Chix 110 points
8. Laura Van Glider C3 Athletes Serving Athletes 108 points
9. Helen Wyman Kona 85 points
10. Maureen Bruno Roy Mm Racing P/b Seven Cycles 71 points
11. Linda Sone Planet Bike 65 points
12. Kaitlin Antonneau Planet Bike 65 points
13. Sara Bresnick-Zocchi Pedalpowercoaching.com/ Landry 64 points
14. Andrea Smith Minuteman Road Club 60 points
15. Barbara Howe Vanderkitten 58 points
16. Amanda Carey Kenda/trainwitheric.com 52 points
17. Kari Studley Velo Bella 50 points
18. Pepper Harlton Juventus Cycling Club 50 points
19. Meredith Miller Cal Giant Strawberries 50 points
20. Kristin Wentworth Planet Bike 48 points
21. Gesa Bruechman Stevens Racing Team 46 points
22. Linnea Koons October Factory Racing 45 points
23. Sarah Stewart Total Restoration Cycling Team 44 points
24. Lynne Bessette Cyclocrossworld.com 38 points
25. Wendy Williams Hudz/subaru 34 points
26. Rebecca Wellons Team Plan C 30 points
27. Jenni Gaertner Vertical Earth 28 points
28. Emily Van Meter Hudz/subaru 28 points
29. Allison Powers Team Type 1 28 points
30. Alison Sydor Team Maxxis-Rocky Mountain 25 points
31. Lisa Strong 24 points
32. Nicole Thiemann Human Zoom/pabst Blue Ribbon 24 points
33. Joele Guynup Island Racing Club 23 points
34. Anna Barensfeld 22 points
35. Kristin Gavin Human Zoom/pabst Blue Ribbon 22 points
36. Sarah Maile 18 points
37. Anna Young Pioneer Racing 18 points
38. Rhonda Mazza Team S&m 16 points
39. Heather Irmiger 16 points
40. Anna Milkowski Velo Bella 14 points
41. Melissa Bunn The Hub Race Team 14 points
42. Alice Pennington Veloforma 14 points
43. Megan Faris River City Bicycles 14 points
44. Kristi Berg Redline 14 points
45. Kristal Boni Blue Sky Velo 12 points
46. Lisa Curry G.a.s./intrinsik 10 points
47. Marline Smiley Scott Bikes 8 points
48. Kathleen Hannon 8 points
49. Lynn Bush 8 points
50. Kori Seehafer 6 points
51. Rebecca Much Hudz/subaru 6 points
52. Lindsey Bishop 4 points
53. Jadine Riley 2 points
54. Kate Harris 2 points
55. Vicki Thomas Ottawa Cross 2 points
56. Karen Potter 1 points
57. Beth Lyndon-Griffith Hagens Berman Llp 1 points
58. Lora Heckman 1 points
59. Sarah Coney 1 points
60. Rachel Mirvish Hb Cycling Club 1 points
61. Becca Blay 1 points
62. Emma Bast Cycle Smart/ncc
63. Sally Annis Hub Racing
64. Perri Mertens Embrocation
65. Christina Tamillo Minuteman Road Club
66. Mary McConnelloug Seven Cycles/kenda No-Tubes