Tom Boonen Quick-Step spot

Crash...Bang...OUCH!

Check out Tyler Farrar's crash in the prologue TT at Paris-Nice.

The good news...he's ok. The bad news...at last report, he was 123rd out of 132 in the GC.

Ugh.

Bike porn?

Ooohhh, baby..

I know it's not about the bike, but...

...I'm pretty much in love with my new "stealth" ride.


All black...no logos, no manufacturer IDs, no fancy colors, no nothin' (except for a couple of strategically-placed Paradigm Cycles stickers).


Check out the white bar tape. I know, I know...this is totally Euro, but what the heck. Just go with it.


The absolute best part...the new Shimano Ultegra SL groupo. I've never had a component set this good. Compact 50/34 crank, ten-speed shifters, full Ultegra SL brakes, front and rear derailleurs.

I'm not worthy!

A Cold Contador

How cold was it at the Astana team training camp in Albuquerque this week? Check out Alberto Contador's pre-ride get-up...

The thermometer read 20 degrees for the morning ride. Most of the Euro-guys thought 20 was ok...until they realized that we were not talkin' 20 Celsius.

Welcome to America, boys. Enjoy the ride.

Ich bin ein Kloden

Astana at Albuquerque

This is a helluva lineup...it looks like the cycling equivalent of the 1927 New York Yankees.Left to right...Levi Leipheimer, the current United States champion and 3rd in the 2007 Tour de France...Johan Bruyneel, the most successful cycling team director in history, with eight Tour de France wins...and Alberto Contador, the '07 Tour champion.

They're all training in New Mexico this week, along with Astana studs Andreas Kloden, Chris Horner and the rest of the Astana stable.

You'll be seeing more...much more...from these guys in the weeks and months to come. It's gonna be a fun ride.

CycleTo.com Taking Shape

We've been working in semi-stealth mode, developing a new cycling news and information site.

It won't be like anything else currently out there. Part of the appeal of the site will be our efforts to "humanize" both the sport and the people who participate.

Here's a short teaser, below. Exceedingly human, yes?



Stay tuned. More...much more...to come.

The Angel's Wings Get Clipped

Remember Jana Ireton, the attractive blonde who wore the angel wings, blew kisses to the riders, and represented the Specialized bike company at the Tour of California bicycle race?

Well, I'm sad to report that Jana wil not be making a return appearance at the 2008 TofCA. Apparently Specialized has hired another girl to represent them at the race.

Damn.

I got the following note from Jana earlier today:

---------

Hello Bob,

Happy 2008! I hope all is well with you. Another great year of cycling is among us and TOC is less than a month away.

I was hoping to share the good news of my return as the Specialized Angel for the 3rd year, but Specialized did not ask for my return. I was heart-broken when they gave me the news that they decided to have another girl from Spain be the Angel at TOC this year. They thanked me for all I've done to make the Angel iconic and to not take it personal, but it was the majority opinion of having this someone be the Angel who spoke multiple languages and keeping it fresh for the press.

It was very difficult for me to imagine someone else in my wings. After all, I was the first Specialized Angel who the cycling industry was so taken with and I was so taken with them. Being that there has been one Devil (Didi Senft) in Europe for many years, I was dreaming whole-heartily of being the one Angel for the U.S. I do respect Specialized's decision for whomever they choose to be their Angel - I'm just disheartened that it will not be me.

I have to say as I told Specialized that I am truly grateful to have been the Specialized Angel all this time and will remember this amazing experience for the rest of my life. I've been able to embrace the cycling phenomenon like never before. I absolutely loved being at the KOMs, starts, & finishes blowing my signature kisses to all the riders, team cars, motorcades, police squad cars, caravan, and of course the fantastic fans. So a special thanks to you and Pez Cycling for featuring me these past 2 years and although you will not see me in my glorious wings, I will be along the sidelines cheering on the riders at various stages of TOC and enjoying every moment as I have always done. And yes, "I am Specialized"!

Kisses,
Jana Ireton

Return to the Risibisi Ride

I joined my peeps, both old and new peeps, on my first Risibisi Ride since the big crash. It was great to be out on the roads of Sonoma County again...but being this far out of shape really sucks.

The crash injuries linger. The shoulder gets sore afer a while on the bike, while the left hand is a source of constant pain. I'm headed back to the doctor Thursday to get it all checked out.

This photo kinda sums up my current condition. Nice, eh? If you want to see the rest of the photos from the ride, click on the red headline, above.

The comeback continues

My thanks to Charlie Livermore and the folks at Endurance in Mill Valley for running me through the whole performance assessment test. I wrote about the experience in my latest column in the Marin IJ. Click on the red link, above, to read the piece.

The bad news...my VO2 max and peak watts suck. Really bad.

The good news...I should get better.

Time will tell.