B. Huff is back in action here on the megablog megaspin megareal megasaddle that is Missingsaddle! I think I was able to take nearly 7 weeks totally off the bike before I went totally insane and had to atleast coast down the road and back to get a short little fix….well that would be unfixed cause I don’t ride a fixie, but you get the idea. This world of cycling is an interesting on that seems to over take our whole soul/life and then drive us to total separation once we can no longer sit on that damn skinny saddle any more. Only to awake one day with the itch to ride again. Oh the good times be had.
This off season has been a hard one for me, but some how I have managed to come out stronger and close to 100% healthy. Hopefully I can keep my bike fit solid and I will continue to build and build towards some type of cycling glory besides hoping to beat my new team mate and God of the Tucson Shoot-out?
So I hear that Creed has been twitting about this Michael_Creed guy on twitter is all about his life, well you know Mr. Creed some people don’t give a flying duck! Shotgun!

Check out the Pros Closet to bid on a Garmin Jersey signed by the Tour of Missouri winning squad.

Go to the Source – http://justgoharder.com

1     Frank Pipp (Usa) Bissell      1:09:00
2     Karl Menzies (Aus) Ouch Presented By Maxxis
3     Jeremy Powers (Usa) Jelly Belly
4     Clayton Barrows (Usa) Crca/Empire Cycling Team
5     Mike Creed (Usa) Team Type 1
6     Bernard Van Ulden (Usa) Jelly Belly
7     Eric Barlevev (Usa) Team Mtn Khakis Pb Epno
8     Chad Hartley (Usa) Team Geargrinder
9     Mark Hekman (Usa) Team Mtn Khakis Pb Epno
10     Jeff Schroetlin (Usa) Abd Cycling Team

DETROIT 6 DAY –
August 11, 2009
Day 1 – results
1st – Team USA – Iggy Silva & Nick Console = 83pts
2nd – Team Red – Daniele DeFranceschi & Nick Laughton = 61pts
3rd – Team Stars/Strips – Barry Miller & Blaine Benson = 45pts
4th – Team Pink – Zach Stien & Rick Denman = 44pts
5th – Team Neon – Luke Cavender & Nick Bayman = 40pts
6th – Team Purple – Brendan Benson & Dena Eaton = 34pts

In 1928 an 18yr old rider named Jimmy Walthour clean the clock of the Pro’s in the Detroit 6 Day held in Olympia Stadium.  Now, 81 yrs late another young rider did the same thing in the Detroit 6 Day – 18 yr old Iggy Silva.  As Jimmy was paired with another young rider from Italy, Iggy was paired with a 16yrs old rider of Italian decent – Nick Console.

1 Mile Sprints
Together, Team USA Iggy Silva and Nick Console were the dominate riders on the track but the other Teams weren’t sitting around.  Team Pink’s Zach Stien started things out right by winning the first 1 Mile Sprint followed by Team Purple’s Brendan Benson. Team USA came back and won the second 1 Mile Sprint.

50 Lap Madison
The Madison is the heart of track racing. It is the true test of speed, endurance and smarts and Team USA proved that had all three. The first sprint was won by Team USA followed by Team Red’s Daniele DeFranceschi and Nick Laughton. Third place was Team Stars/Stripe’s Barry Miller and Blaine Benson.  The final sprint of the first Madison again was won by Team USA followed by Team Red and Team Neon’s Luke Cavender and Nick Bayma.

Miss & Out
Let’s go back to the UIV 3 Day earlier this summer. All three Miss & Outs were a battle between Iggy Silva and Daniele DeFranceschi.  Well, the battle continued – although Iggy won the best of three during the UIV 3 Day during Day 1 of the Detroit 6 Day Daniele got his revenge by beating Iggy to the line.  This battle could go on for 5 more days and the crowd will love it.

100 Lap Madison
Team Red won the first sprint followed by Team Neon and Team Stars/Stripes. The second sprint was won by Team Red again – followed by Team USA and Team Stars/Stripes.  The third sprint was won by Team Neon followed by Team Stars/Stripes and Team Pink’s Zach Stien and Rick Denman.  Team Red and Team Stars/Stripes were gaining points on Team USA.  It was coming down to the final sprint but Team USA wasn’t waiting around for the finish.  Team USA put the hammer down after the third sprint and opened up a ¼ lap lead and it stayed that way to the finish with Team USA winning the final sprint.  Team Purple’s Brendan Benson and Dena Eaton, althought a lap down, contested the final sprint and came in second with Team Red coming in third.

The real story is Team USA’s Iggy Silva and Nick Console, both teenagers, dominated the night and won Day 1 of the 2009 DETROIT 6 DAY! CONGRATULATIONS

DETROIT 6 DAY
DAY 2 – Teams/Events/Standings
7:30pm start, finish under the lights!

Teams:
Team USA – Iggy Silva & Dena Eaton
Team Red – Daniele DeFranceschi & Nick Bayma
Team Stars/Stripes – Barry Miller & Rick Denman
Team Pink – Zach Stien & Blaine Benson
Team Neon – Luke Cavender & Nick Laughton
Team Purple – Brendan Benson & Nick Console
Team Ti – Cody Brown & Cruise Bogedin

Events:
Team Intro
1 Mile Sprint
1 Mile Sprint
50 Lap Madison – 2 sprints
Miss & Out
100 Lap Madison  – 5 sprints

Standings:
Iggy Silva – 20pts
Nick Console – 20pts
Daniele DeFranceschi – 17pts
Nick Laughton – 17pts
Barry Miller – 15pts
Blaine Benson – 15pts
Zach Stien – 14pts
Rick Denman – 14pts
Luke Cavender – 13pts
Nick Bayma – 13pts
Brendan Benson – 12pts
Dena Eaton – 12pts

Kelly Benefit Strategies’ David Veilleux Attacks Three Laps Out; Wins by Ten Second Lead

Minneapolis, Min., August 10th, 2009 — No doubt about it: Kelly Benefit Strategies’ David Veilleux is back. Soloing from three laps out at the Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium in Charlotte this weekend, he took one of the most competitive fields in domestic pro cycling by surprise and won the top ranked NRC race with a decisive ten second lead.

“Veilleux is like caged animal always looking for a chance to escape on his own,” says Ken Mills, General/Performance Manager. “We saw that in action last night, which was an amazing event and a textbook tactical play for our program.

“We came into Charlotte a little short handed with just five guys against other six man rosters and when David got into the break I wasn’t absolutely positive it would stick. But we didn’t want a bunch sprint to the line so we had David pick a point in the race where he could use his time trial skills to open a lead and go for the win. It worked.”

Veilleux, who broke his collarbone and missed six weeks of the 2009 season earlier this year, has been working hard on his form. The intensive program of training paid off this weekend. Three laps from the line, Veilleux was the sole KBS rider to represent the team in a ten-man break that stayed away until the finish. With two and a half laps remaining, David attacked the break and soloed to the finish, gaining time on each consecutive lap and eaving behind Team Type 1 and Cola Vita Sutter Home, both of which had two riders in the group.

“It is great to have David back to one hundred percent form and doing what he does best – winning races,” says performance director, Jonas Carney. “We knew the Charlotte criterium would suit our team well because each team can only start six riders. That makes for real racing and it favors teams like ours who can execute a defined strategy and make best use of teamwork. This win shows again that our program can win any type of event from road to time trial to Criterium.”

Veilleux crossed the line in front of more than 30,000 spectators and picks up a first place prize of $12,000 in the biggest-prize money Criterium in North America. Now in its sixth year, the NRC Presbyterian Hospital Invitational Criterium attracts more than 200 pro athletes from around the country and is the only NRC race in the United States to have a 1.1 ranking. It’s his third win in the last month, after taking the U23 Canadian Time Trial Champion and the Great Downer Avenue stage of Superweek just weeks ago.

“This is a terrific, emphatic win,” says Dale Henn, President, Contour Technology, sponsor and leader in pro cycling electronic stimulation technology. “It’s great to see David back so quickly and so dramatically. We put that down to his gifts as an incredible athlete and his commitment to recovery using some of the most advanced technology and equipment available to pro cyclists today.”

The Kelly Benefit Strategies pro team is now in preparation for Downers’ Grove, the race that put the then first year program on the map when they became the only first-year team in US cycling history to win the race. After a near mss and second place last season, Carney, Mills and the team have their sights set on regaining the title.

What Is Cookin’ In Pro Cycling.

By Kyle Moore

QUITTING THE TOUR COLD TURKEY
It’s not a fun time of the season, is it?  On the east coast, after three weeks, the body clock has naturally set itself for a 7 am wakeup-call.  But instead of rolling over, grabbing the remote, and coming fully alert to the sounds of Ligget and Sherwen, silence and a dark TV screen is the only greeting.  Crawling out of bed, you can feel a void that begins in your chest and makes its way up to your brain as you come to the realization that… the Tour is over.  No more Schleck attacks.  No more Andreau/Armstrong interviews.  This being our first UTS since the Tour de France came to a conclusion, let’s make an attempt to pull you out of those post-Tour blues.  Look on the bright side – only a few weeks until the Vuelta!

TOUGH TIMES AT EUSKALTEL
They didn’t have the man-power to support three grand tours, which meant no Giro invite.  And what looked like a good ’09 Tour de France has turned into a nightmarish July for Euskaltel-Euskadi.  The lovable Basque team full of punchy, attacking climbers like Amets Txurruka and Egoi Martinez has now experienced the doping positives of team leaders Iñigo Landaluze (admitted guilt of a CERA positive), and Mikel Astarloza, a stage winner and 11th best rider overall in the Tour.  Not good news for Euskaltel, already struggling to stay relevant as more teams make their bid for Pro-Tour status.  While Landaluze has come clean, Astarloza maintains his innocence.  “I know that I have not taken anything prohibited, and categorically say: ‘I’ve never taken anything forbidden,’” he told Marca today.  The team has continued to support Mikel as they wait for a counter-analysis of his sample.
If you’re wondering what happened to Olympic road race champion Samuel Sanchez, he makes his ’09 grand tour debut this month in the Vuelta a España, and he will look for help from teammate Igor Anton in an effort to take the top step of the podium.  This kind of result would be the best remedy in an increasingly difficult season for Euskaltel-Euskadi.

TEAM NEWS – WHO’S WHERE, WHO’S DOING WHAT
We’ve all heard about Team RadioShack and their new captain, and speculation is beginning to swirl around who they will sign to fill the roster.  RadioShack, along with British Team Sky and Tour-rookies-no-more Skil-Shimano have applied for Pro-Tour status with the UCI.  President Pat McQuaid has maintained that the Pro-Tour should maintain approximately 21 teams, keeping competition high, but with these new applications, the field is getting rather crowded.  In Astana news, Alberto Contador turned down a lucrative extension offer from the team.  Alexandre Vinokourov makes his return to racing today in the Castillon-la-Bataille criterium in France, but it won’t be in an Astana uniform.  Said press officer Phillipe Maertens, “When he [Vinokourov] is racing tomorrow, it will not be for Astana.  I know he wants to come to our team but for the moment nothing is decided, nothing is done yet.  It can change in a few days, but for now [he is not a member of the team].”

TRANSFER TALK
All of the following should still be considered rumors, with different transfers at different levels of certainty:
Alessandro Ballan – Lampre is unable to offer more than a one year deal, a move to RadioShack looks likely
Juan Antonio Flecha – Rabobank is downsizing, Team Sky wants the Spanish classics ace
Robbie Hunter – another sprinter for Garmin-Slipstream

RACING ROUNDUP
They had an all-around crappy Tour (again), but Quick Step still owns the classics.  They produced a great team effort in pushing Carlos Barredo to the win at the Clasica San Sebastian.  Borut Bozic (Vacansoleil) and Angelo Furlan (Lampre) won the first two stages of the Tour of Poland, but it was Italian neo-pro Jacopo Guarnieri of Liquigas who got his first career win in stage 3 as Andre Greipel (Columbia-HTC) took the overall lead.  Jakob Fuglsang (Saxo Bank) won his home Tour of Denmark for the second year running, and he’ll look to climb alongside teammate Andy Schleck later this month when the Vuelta a España begins.

EARLY VUELTA ODDS
Inspired by his upcoming vacation in fabulous Las Vegas, the author has checked out the early betting lines for the year’s final grand tour.  As of August 4, contenders for the overall come off at the following:

Basso: 7/2; Valverde: 5/1; Contador: 6/1; Sammy Sanchez: 8/1; Andy Schleck: 15/2
Danielson: 59/1
Cancellara: 200/1

Oakland, CA – The OUCH Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis heads to the Chicago area for the Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove with an eight-man roster tailored to the short, hard stage race.

Rory Sutherland“With a time trial, road race and criterium, we’re bringing guys who not only can do well in the overall, but also in individual stages,” said team directeur sportif Mike Tamayo.

The squad will be led by 2007 and 2008 NRC points champion Rory Sutherland and Chris Baldwin, both coming off 4th and 5th overall performances respectively at the Cascade Classic last week. Floyd Landis will bolster the stage race side of the roster. All three are strong riders against the clock.

OUCH Presented by Maxxis is also bringing four fast men for the road race and criterium in particular. After a win during Superweek and a 3rd place at the Chicago Criterium, Tasmanian Karl Menzies will return to Chicagoland from his home in Michigan. His two teammates for the Chicago Criterium, John Murphy and Bobby Lea, remained in the area and will add firepower to the team’s lead-out train for the Elk Grove road race and criterium.

Andrew PinfoldAlso joining the team post-Cascade will be Canadian strong man Andrew Pinfold, who delivered a 3rd place that Cascade criterium on Saturday. Pinfold comes into Elk Grove on excellent form, having also posted several wins during BC Superweek earlier this month.

Team captain Tim Johnson once again will be called upon to deliver his usual Herculean efforts on behalf of his teammates.

“We did pretty well at Chicago on Sunday,” noted Menzies. “It was a bit hard with just three of us, especially at the end when I think we could’ve used one more guy for the lead-out. But it’ll be great to have a full squad for Elk Grove. All those guys are coming into it with good form after Cascade. It should be a good weekend.”

The Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove opens Friday with the 4.5-mile MTI Construction Time Trial. Saturday throws the 150km Chicago Blackhawks Circuit Race through Elk Grove at the peloton. The race concludes Sunday with the 110km Gullo International Criterium, run on a roughly 1.6km course in Elk Grove.

The OUCH Pro Cycling Team Presented by Maxxis for the Alexian Brothers Tour of Elk Grove:

Chris Baldwin, USA
Tim Johnson, USA
Floyd Landis, USA
Bobby Lea, USA
Karl Menzies, TAS
John Murphy. USA
Andrew Pinfold, CAN
Rory Sutherland, AUS

Photo: Jonathan Devich

Tour de France Stage 17 Preview
By: Jamie Naragon
Four Cat-1 climbs seems almost cruel…for the riders.  The fans will love the drama unfolding on this stage that includes the Tour’s first use of Romme Pass:
•    Km 18.0 – Cormet de Roselend (D.902-D.925) – 18.1 km climb to 5.7 % – Category 1
•    Km 56.0 – Col des Saisies – 15.1 km climb to 6 % – Category 1
•    Km 111.5 – Côte d’Araches – 6.3 km climb to 7 % – Category 2
•    Km 140.5 – Col de Romme – 8.8 km climb to 8.9 % – Category 1
•    Km 154.5 – Col de la Colombière – 7.5 km climb to 8.5 % – Category 1

Beginning in the previous day’s Bourg-Saint-Maurice, Le Grand Bornand will conclude the stage.  This 4-time stage town sits at the base of the Aravis mountain range and is home to the various skiing activities one would associate with the French Alps.  The riders, however, will not have time to strap on skis as this stage will certainly test what strength remains in their legs.

Who to watch
Yet another day for the climbers.  There is a brief respite at the very end of the stage, meaning someone who descends well might be able to slip away.  The GC men will have to be on-guard today, though, and will have to constantly be marking each other.

Chaos Predictions
The battle is not over!  The gloves are off, and riders who don’t time trial well who still have aspirations for a high finish (Andy Schleck, Carlos Sastre, etc.) will need to go on the attack!

Tour de France Stage 14 in Review
By: Jamie Naragon

Today’s stage was another “typical” flat stage.  Like yesterday, the weather was not advantageous to the riders, raining off and on throughout.  And as usual, the breaks started early.  Within the first 14km, 14 riders broke free.  Two of them, however, were caught early on.  The decisive break was comprised of:  Hayden Roulston (Cervélo Test Team), Jens Voigt (Saxo Bank), Martijn Maaskant (Garmin Slipstream), George Hincapie (Columbia HTC), Nicolas Roche (Ag2r La Mondiale), Daniele Bennati, Frederik Willems (Liquigas), Christophe Le Mevel (Française des Jeux), Sebastian Minard (Cofidis), Daniele Righi (Lampre), Serguei Ivanov (Katusha), Gerard Ciolek (Milram) and Albert Timmer (Skil Shimano).  However, at the 133km mark, Voigt punctured and a poor wheel change followed by a series of mechanicals forced him to rejoin the peloton.

After this slight drama, the break group pushed its lead around the 6 minute mark, and the peloton was content to let the fish dangle, particularly owing the number of teams represented in the break.  About halfway through the day, the rain cleared out as the break pushed its advantage over 8 minutes.

Sadly, 38kms into the stage, a 61-year old spectator was killed when she was crossing the road and struck by a motorcyclist of the Republican Guard.  The motorcycle then lost control and hit 2 more spectators, and they were both taken to the hospital.

Nonetheless, the racing continued.  For most of the day, the break worked well together and maintained its strong advantage. Their time ahead of the peloton was so big that George Hincapie was maillot jaune virtual, so when AG2R picked up the pace, George pulled ahead of the break away on an unclassified climb.  The break caught him, but increased their tempo.

Maaskant was next to attack at the 11.8km to go mark.  Ivanov marked him.  While the rest of the group caught Maaskant, Ivanov continued to attack, opening a 20 second margin.  Timmer and Roulston then launched off the front of chasers, trying to bridge to the Amstel Gold winner.  Ivanov was able to hold on, taking his second Tour win.  Roche led the rest of the chase group in 16 seconds later, and Thor won the sprint to the finish ahead of the peloton.

The peloton timed it catch well…or poorly…depending on how you look at it.  George Hincapie was a mere 5 seconds away from yellow.  Therefore, Nocentini keeps his yellow one more day, but he should expect a huge challenge in the mountains tomorrow!

Stage 14:
1.    Serguei Ivanov (Katusha)            4h 37’46”
2.    Nicholas Roche (AG2R)            +0.16
3.    Hayden Roulston (Cervelo)            +0.16
4.    Martijn Maaskant (Garmin)            +0.16
5.    Sebastien Minard (Cofidis)            +0.16
6.    Daniele Righi (Lampre)            +0.16
7.    Christophe LeMevel (FDJ)            +0.16
8.    George Hincapie (Columbia)            +0.16
9.    Daniele Bennati (Liquigas)            +0.16
10.    Gerald Ciolek                    +0.22

GC After Stage 14:
1.    Rinaldo Nocentini (AG2R)        58h 13’52”
2.    George Hincapie (Columbia)        +0.05
3.    Alberto Contador (Astana)        +0.06
4.    Lance Armstrong (Astana)        +0.08
5.    Christophe LeMevel (FDJ)        +0.43
6.    Bradley Wiggins (Garmin)        +0.46
7.    Andreas Kloden (Astana)        +0.54
8.    Tony Martin (Columbia)        +1.00
9.    Christian Vande Velde (Garmin)    +1.24
10.    Andy Schleck (Saxo)            +1.49

By Kyle Moore

Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo Test Team) used superior descending skills to distance Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step) off the category 1 Col du Platzerwasel and actually put time into the French all-arounder on the final two climbs to take the satisfying solo victory in stage 13.  The dream season for Haussler and the rookie team Cervelo continues, and if you aren’t happy for the hard-working, passionate Aussie-German, you don’t have a heart.  It was Haussler who was edged on the line in Milan-San Remo by Mark Cavendish (Columbia), and his looks of anguish after the close loss have become legendary.

Astana controlled the peloton over the Cols for most of the day, but it was evident early on that they had not chosen today to finally put their stamp on the race.  And once again, a hilly, indecisive stage had no team willing take control, so the breakaway was again allowed to fight for the stage win.  And as was the case in several of the spring classics, no one was better than Haussler.
After several attempts, he was part of the successful breakaway that also included Chavanel and Ruben Perez (Euskaltel-Euskadi).  The trio built a lead of over 8 minutes over the category 2 Col de la Schlucht when a small chase group developed that contested the final few available mountain points.  In what is developing into a real battle, Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) beat Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) to slightly increase his lead in the polka dot jersey standings.  But Pellizotti would use double points on the final climb to take the lead over the Spanish rider by three points.
When the peloton hit the Platzerwasel, some elite splits were established.  Under the pressure of Astana’s Sergio Paulinho and Yaroslav Popovich, riders began dropping off the back.  But none of the contenders struggled with the pace, including the increasingly-confident Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2R), who easily held on to yellow for another day.  Many of the riders who were dropped on the climb were able to bridge back on the descent, and the peloton crested the final climb of the day more than 7 minutes behind Haussler and chasers Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Chavanel, and Brice Feillu (Agritubel).  Feillu would later overtake the bonking Chavanel, who managed to hold on to fourth over the charging peloton.

It’s the first Tour stage win for Haussler, who had plenty of time to smile at the cameras in the last kilometer.  The emotion was obvious as he hit the line with Cervelo’s second stage win.  Their first came from Thor Hushovd, who used a sixth place finish today to take back the green jersey from Cavendish.

Levi Leipheimer (Astana) was a non-starter after breaking his wrist near yesterday’s finish.

Stage 13 Brief Results
1 Heinrich Haussler (Cervelo) 200 K in 4:56:26
2 Amets Txurruka (Euskaltel-Euskadi) at 4:11
3 Brice Feillu (Agritubel)                          6:13
4 Sylvain Chavanel (Quick Step)              6:31
5 Peter Velits (Milram)                              6:43

GC after Stage 13
1 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ag2R) in 53:30:30
2 Alberto Contador (Astana) at 0:06
3 Lance Armstrong (Astana)     0:08
4 Bradley Wiggins (Garmin)     0:46
5 Andreas Kloden (Astana)       0:54

Wearing Green
1 Thor Hushovd (Cervelo) 205 pts
2 Mark Cavendish (Columbia) 200 pts

Wearing Polka Dots
1 Franco Pellizotti (Liquigas) 98 pts
2 Egoi Martinez (Euskaltel-Euskadi) 95 pts

Wearing White
Tony Martin (Columbia)

Tour de France Stage 13 Preview

Edited by Jaime Naragon

An even 200 kms greet the riders in this medium mountain stage from Vittel to Colmar.  Vittel is a two-time stage town with a rather small population of just 6200.  Known as the training town for the French team in the Munich Olympics, Vittel has been interested in sports ever since.  The Tour is a big treat for this athletic city!

Colmar is no stranger to the Tour.  Having been a 6-time stage town, this Alsatian wine capital is a welcome-stop to those cyclists seeking a sip of the local economy!  Colmar is also known to Americans as the birthplace of Auguste Bartholdi, creator of New York’s Statue of Liberty.

There are three intermediate sprints, but they are nestled around small climbs.  The four climbs on the stage are:
•    Km 46.0 – Côte de Xertigny – 2.0 km climb to 5.3 % – Category 3
•    Km 105.0 – Col de la Schlucht – 8.9 km climb to 4.2 % – Category 2
•    Km 138.5 – Col du Platzerwasel – 8.7 km climb to 7.6 % – Category 1
•    Km 165.5 – Col du Bannstein – 2.1 km climb to 5.1 % – Category 3

Who to Watch:
This is a tricky stage.  A small group, particularly of climbers, could easily sneak away.  Then again, a solo escape-artist with decent climbing and descending skills could steal the glory as well. After Nicki’s successful break yesterday, it will be interesting to see which approach is taken.

Chaos Preview:
Time for the GC men to at least show some form.  Says Agent 86:  Yes! The first real test. We know Astana will be lying low because they don’t want to attack anyone but the rest will go for it! Or so I’m hoping!

Join the conversation at Chaos Cycling Club