Hey Race Fans. Since most of you are probably going through a similar bit of post-AToC depression, please enjoy the following running diary from the VS coverage of Stage 8 from Rancho Bernardo to Escondido. This may be a bit free form and not exactly tense-specific in any way, so bear with me if I [...]

Understanding that the Rose Bowl has played host to events such as the Super Bowl and World Cup, I really didn’t think that it would be too crazy at the finish of Stage 7. Needless to say, I was wrong. It wasn’t just a little crazy, it was completely Gary Busey-level insane. In a scene [...]

If Solvang, California were a food, it would be a sweet, jelly-filled Danish pastry. If it were a bike race, it would be the Amgen Tour of California. And if I were more creative I would be able to come up with a better way to start this post. Anyway, I love this freaky little [...]

Okay, it is officially “normal” at the Tour of California now. After days of rain, crashes and breakaways the sun has returned and Mark Cavendish is racking up stage wins. With a second victory in as many days Captain Cavman made his boss proud as he took the “hometown” honors just up the road from [...]

Just in case anyone was wondering how to lead-out a sprint in bike racing, take a look at the tape of the Cervelo Test Team in the finale of Stage 3 in Modesto. After making a late catch of the day’s breakaway remnants, the field basically just had to watch as an English-speaking chariot delivered [...]

Dispelling one myth at a time… Having spent many years in bike shops long before I ever entered the world of wrenching for pro teams I can speak first hand of how many ideas I’ve heard about ‘proper’ tire (or tyre) inflation. The level of financial commitment that wheel and tyre manufacturers are putting into [...]

It’s not often that the biggest bike race in the country traces a portion of one’s commute to work. Consequently, it’s not often that one can watch the best professionals in the world make the hardest part of your daily ride look like, well…an easy neutral zone warm-up. Thousands of Bay Area cyclists are probably [...]

So…as many of us familiar with February in NorCal had feared since the race was first announced five years ago, the rain and weather have been less than pleasant. I know bike racers are tough but there must have been a lot of complaining going on between Davis and Santa Rosa. Apparently, Chris Horner was [...]

Walking through the ATOC expo area, I found some of the most interesting eye candy coming from the world of mountain bikes.   Although to many, these designs are token fixtures in design, I thought they were a bit off the beaten path-especially considering the environment of the largest road event in the country. For the [...]

Well, the 2009 Amgen Tour of California has officially begun and looks strikingly similar to last year. Fabian Cancellara continues to perform the best Motorcycle impersonation, Levi Leipheimer shows that he is firing and Slipstream narrowly misses another win. Yup, pretty much like 2008. Although, after viewing the recorded VS coverage I did find some [...]

Let’s be honest. Although the Amgen Tour of California field is bursting with big name riders, there really are only a handful of legitimate contenders who make the event a top priority. But as Jacques Anquetil said, “There are no races. Only lotteries.” Considering this and the fact that weather may play a significant role [...]