This Friday the double time trial World Champ Fabian Cancellara has extended his contract with the Danish cycling team, Team CSC Saxo Bank for another three seasons until 2011.

“It means a lot to me that my future is secure with Team CSC Saxo Bank. This is where I belong and where I can reach my potential in the best possible way. When I reflect on the way I’ve evolved since joining the team and the things I’ve been through and everything the team and Bjarne have done for me, I’m totally convinced that I can be even better yet. Now I have the perfect horizon in relation to my career and I look forward to the next three years with my teammates and the results we’re going to achieve together,” says Fabian Cancellara.

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Norridge, Illinois - Keep Your Stuff Dry with Axiom Bags, and Lexco has them

With more and more people commuting by bicycle now, and with fall and winter only a few months away, Axiom all-season waterproof panniers, handlebar, trunk, briefcase pannier and laptop bags are the perfect accessory. And now’s the time to order your Axiom bags from Lexco.

Panorama Waterproof Panniers
With its 2,260 cubic inch capacity per pair, Axiom’s Panorama panniers are a perfect set of commuter bags. The bags are made of waterproof 1000-800 denier nylon, feature plastic wear guards for years of service and seam-sealed waterproof compartments to keep clothes and work items dry.

Columbia FT - Waterproof Trunk Bag
Many commuters don’t need to take a full change of clothes with them, but they still need a bag for personal items. That’s where an Axiom Trunk Bag fits in. The Columbia FT is waterproof, features 895 cubic inches of capacity, has a double bottom which makes removal of the bag from a bike rack quick and easy and includes a padded shoulder strap.

Vancouver FT - Waterproof Trunk Bag
The Axiom Vancouver FT is the smaller cousin of the Columbia FT with 448 cubic inches of capacity. It also features a double bottom and padded shoulder strap.

Shuttle - Weatherproof Bar Bag
Some riders don’t want the extra weight of a rear rack, so a full-featured handlebag is the solution. The Axiom Shuttle features a seam-sealed liner, 50 cubic inches of space and a detachable hip pack so that you can carry your essentials with you.

Transition Weatherproof Laptop Pannier
Take your laptop to and from work with this exceptional Axiom bag. It’s made of 1000-800 denier waterproof nylon with a seam-sealed waterproof compartment. Plus, the bag features a water-resistant padded laptop holder, plastic wear guards and the cover zips over the laptop for added protection.

Graphite Weatherproof Briefcase Pannier
This Axiom bag also doubles as a soft briefcase. Made of 1000-800 denier waterproof nylon, the Briefcase Pannier features seam-sealed waterproof compartments, padded laptop holder, plastic wear guards and angled mounting hardware so that a rider’s heels clear the bag when pedaling.

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Stage 18 from Bourg-d’Oisans to Saint-Etienne led the tour out of the Alps, and with the crucial time trial expected to decide the race, the leaders were content with letting Marcus Burghardt and Carlos Barredo get away. Both attacking each other at times in the final kilometers, Burghardt timed his last attack perfectly to take the stage win.

Carlos Sastre remains in the Maillot Jaune, all other jerseys remain the same as well…

Stage 18 Results
1 Marcus Burghardt (Ger) Team Columbia - 4.30.21
2 Carlos Barredo Llamazales (Spa) Quick Step
3 Romain Feillu (Fra) Agritubel - 3.33
4 Christophe Le Mével (Fra) Crédit Agricole
5 Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi - 3.35
6 Samuel Dumoulin (Fra) Cofidis - Le Crédit par Téléphone - 6.39
7 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale
8 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas
9 Leif Hoste (Bel) Silence - Lotto
10 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team CSC - Saxo Bank

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• Compact Geometry
• Taller Head Tube
• Slightly Shorter Sloping Top Tube
• “X Design” Stays
• 1100 grams (medium)
• 5 Sizes - XS, S, M, L, XL
• Available in 2 colors (Black & Red, shown or Black & White)
• Frameset MSRP: $1999
• Full Rival Bike MSRP: $2499
• Full Ultegra SL Bike MSRP: $2999

LOOK Cycles showed off the new 566 to media recently, a new entry level road bike from the French boutique cycling brand. The new frame features tube to tube carbon technology, which is one of the more affordable and simple ways to build a carbon frame. The bike is going to be manufactured in Asia, but the design and testing was done all in house at LOOK’s headquarters in Nevers, France.

The 566 is built for comfort, a bike that a rider can ride all day and not get beat up on, but at the same time remains efficient. Lateral efficiency is key in keeping the frame from flexing and making sure all power input from the rider is not lost in frame flexing, but rather going toward forward movement. The key also though is to make sure it’s vertically compliant as well, making the bike comfortable.

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Everyone knew he would attack. Everyone knew he would go for the victory on Alpe d’Huez!

And he did it: Carlos Sastre won the queen stage in this year’s edition of Tour de France - after 210 kilometers from Embrun to the legendary finish at the top of Alpe d’Huez the petite Spanish rider was able to celebrate both the victory and the Yellow Jersey, which he took over from teammate Fränk Schleck, who is now second in the general classification.

The triumph was made even sweeter by the fact that Andy Schleck was third in the stage and increased his lead in the Best Young Rider’s competition considerably.

“What a fantastic team! I’m almost lost for words. They were amazing and both our GC riders and the rest of the guys made an absolutely world class effort out there today,” said a jubilant Bjarne Riis after the stage.

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Spanish rider Carlos Sastre rode the ride of his life on Stage 17 of this year’s Tour de France. Attacking with just 13km to go, the Maillot Jaune group was not able to hang onto the Spaniard and he went on to win the Stage.

Carlos Sastre wins the stage and is also the new overall General Classification leader, taking over for teammate Frank Schleck.

Stage 17 Results
1 Carlos Sastre (Spa) CSC-Saxo Bank - 6.07.58
2 Samuel Sánchez (Spa) Euskaltel-Euskadi - 2.03
3 Andy Schleck (Lux) CSC-Saxo Bank
4 Alejandro Valverde (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne - 2.13
5 Fränk Schleck (Lux) CSC-Saxo Bank
6 Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) AG2R La Mondiale
7 Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence-Lotto
8 Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank
9 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin Chipotle - H30
10 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) Gerolsteiner

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World-Class Professional Cyclists Will Return to California in February to Compete
Across 800 Miles of the State in Nine-Day Stage Race

Photo by Ken Conley

Los Angeles, CA – The record-setting Amgen Tour of California professional cycling road race will be expanded in 2009, race presenter AEG announced today through a series of press conferences throughout the state. The 2009 race will include stops in 16 host cities over the course of nine days from February 14-22. Already considered cycling’s most important and successful road race in the United States, the event’s fourth running will be expanded to cover more than 800 miles over the nine days. Traveling almost the entire length of California, the race will begin in the state’s capital, Sacramento, and end in San Diego County (a new addition to the race) with a finish in Escondido on February 22. Also for the first time, the riders will cross the Golden Gate Bridge at the beginning of Stage 3.

The 16 official stage start and finish cities that have been selected for the 2009 race include eight new locales – Davis, Santa Cruz, Merced, Clovis, Visalia, Paso Robles, Rancho Bernardo and Escondido – that will join Sacramento, Santa Rosa, Sausalito, San Jose, Modesto, Solvang, Santa Clarita and Pasadena as host cities along the route.

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By coach Eric Kenney

Ahhhh… the big Taper. You finally get to relax. Skip the hill workout and the mega mileage brick on Saturday… Some people hate this time of training. I am one of them. It’s a scary time. The time when you can do very little to gain anything and do every thing to screw up months or even years of training. However it is necessary to achieve maximum potential.

First off I like to use the term “Peaking”. Tapering promotes the idea of doing less and less, and this is not the complete story. Tapering makes me think of something getting smaller and smaller, and that’s not what we are trying to do. Peaking is the process in which we achieve maximum physical and mental performance potential. This is a lot more detailed than just cutting back your mileage.

We will discuss this in general terms for a “race”. Peaking workouts and how much you do and do not do, can and will vary a lot depending on your event, duration, and skill level.

First off the peaking phase duration will vary depending on the duration of your event. The longer the event the longer the taper, ok there I said it. For Iron distance events, stage races, etc the longer the lead up of peaking. You might see up to a month of decreased volume in extreme cases.

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“How many times have you found yourself in need of a tube, flat repair kit, or pump and the local bicycle shop was closed?”

On July 1st, Trek installed the very first Trek Stop in front of Machinery Row Bicycles in Madison, Wisconsin. It didn’t take long before it caught the attention of locals and bloggers a like, and word of mouth spread. What is a Trek Stop you might ask? The Trek Stop is a vending machine for basic bicycle parts, anything from patch kits, spare tubes and chain lube to water bottles and energy bars and gels. The kiosk sports a bike repair stand and floor pump to aid in the repair of a flat or perhaps a busted chain. If you’re not sure how to repair your bike, a video in the kiosk will serve as a guide for minor repairs such as flat repair.

The lone kiosk in the pilot program sits outside of Machinery Row Bicycles in Madison (the largest metropolotian city closest to Waterloo, Trek’s headquarters). And is slated to run for the remainder of the summer before Trek evaluates it’s success.

We caught up with Rebecca Anderson, director of advocacy for Trek’s ‘One World, Two Wheels’ campaign and Michael Hammond, Trek Design Engineer to find out more about the program.

What prompted the Trek Stop program?
Rebecca - Trek Stop is not meant to replace a local bike shop, but rather just be an extension of one. Auto drivers have all sorts of support from service stations to tow trucks but there isn’t much for cyclists so the Trek Stop is meant to help fill a gap.

Michael - Trek Stop is a direct result of user research. Trek’s ACG and Industrial Design groups spend a lot of time talking to real cyclists to understand needs. With the data we get from our users, we generate new concepts - some of the concepts go to production, some do not.

How long is this pilot program slated to run for?
Rebecca - We’ll keep it running through August and figure and decide from there.

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Cyril Dessel of AG2R became the second Frenchman to win a stage at this years Tour de France. Dessel was part of a large breakaway which shattered on the final climb of stage 16, allowing Dessel to out ride Sandy Casar (FdJ) and David Arroyo (Caisse d’Epargne) down the final technical descent to take the victory.

Frank Schleck remains in the Maillot Jaune, while his younger brother Andy takes over the Maillot Blanc.

Stage 16 Results
1 Cyril Dessel (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale - 4.31.27
2 Sandy Casar (Fra) Française des Jeux
3 David Arroyo Duran (Spa) Caisse d’Epargne
4 Yaroslav Popovych (Ukr) Silence - Lotto - 0.03
5 George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia - 0.24
6 Nicolas Portal (Fra) Caisse d’Epargne
7 Tadej Valjavec (Slo) AG2R La Mondiale
8 Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner - 1.03
9 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team CSC - Saxo Bank - 1.28
10 Bernhard Kohl (Aut) Gerolsteiner

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