Cycling news

Tour de Cycling - Sunday

- Vuelta a Burgos LIVE via TDP.  Link below.  More links to come.

- Next updates as live television coverage gets underway for Vuelta a Burgos and Volta a PortugalLinks to LIVE internet video feeds and tickers are below photos.

- Vuelta a Burgos final stage Sunday begins at 12:41 CET (6:41am U.S. Eastern).  LIVE video coverage should begin at around 16:00 CET (10am U.S. Eastern).  Stage 5 is a mountaintop finish.  Garmin-Slipstream's Tom Danielson is race leader with teammate Danny Pate in second at 4 seconds.  Alejandro Valverde is third at 5 seconds.  Below: photos of Danielson and Pate, USA Cycling teammates at the 2003 Tour de l'Avenir (Tour of the Future).


Flashback:  2003 Tour de l'Avenir ("Tour of the future"):  Team USA's Mike Creed, left, Danny Pate,
and Tom Danielson in Bonneval, France on the eve of the prologue.
photo Copyright © Pete Geyer/www.cyclingfans.com


Flashback:  2003 Tour de l'Avenir:  Pate and Danielson before being
presented to the public in Bonneval, France on the eve of the prologue.
photo Copyright © Pete Geyer/www.cyclingfans.com


Flashback:  2003 Tour de l'Avenir:  Danielson, not used to the media attention in Europe,
outside the church at Bonneval.  Riding at the time for the dominant U.S. domestic team Saturn,
Danielson would soon make a permanent move to Europe, signing with Fassa Bortolo for the 2004 season.
He would then join the Discovery Channel team in 2005.
photo Copyright © Pete Geyer/www.cyclingfans.com


Flashback:  2003 Tour de l'Avenir:  Pate and Danielson, introduced to the French public,
look about as comfortable as ice cubes on a hot summer afternoon.  But this is typical of pro riders.
USA Cycling National Development Team Director Noel Dejonckheere is at right.
photo Copyright © Pete Geyer/www.cyclingfans.com

Coming Soon:  "This Beautiful Sport"


2003 Tour de l'Avenir:  Tom Danielson (Team USA) in action in the prologue.
Copyright © Pete Geyer/www.cyclingfans.com

 

Vuelta a Burgos Stage 5 Profile

 

2009 Vuelta a Burgos LIVE
Spain, August 5-9
Official Website
Teams/Start Lists

 Stage 5 start: 12:41 CET
(--)
Finish: approx. 16:46 CET
(approx. 4:46pm CET)

Live video:  16:00 CET
(4:00pm CET)
(10:00am U.S. Eastern)


Madrid

 


Live video streaming:

 

TDP
  

(more video links to come if available)

 

Live audio streaming:

 

(--)

 

Live tickers:

 

biciciclismo
(Google-translated to English)


(more tickers to come if available)

 

News and photos:


(cycling news)
Yahoo photo gallery (AP/AFP)

 

Copyright © 2009 www.cyclingfans.com

2009 Volta a Portugal LIVE
August 5-16
Official Website
Teams/Start Lists

 Stage 4 start: 13:05pm local
(1:05pm local)
Finish: 17:14 to 17:28 local
(5:14pm to 5:28pm local)

Live video:  15:57 local
(3:57pm local)
(10:57am U.S. Eastern)


Lisbon

 


Live video streaming:

 

RTP
 

(more video links to come if available)

 

Live audio streaming:

 

(--)

 

Live tickers:

 

Jornal Ciclismo
(Google-translated to English)

 

(more tickers to come if available)

 

News and photos:


(cycling news)
Yahoo photo gallery (AP/AFP)

 

Copyright © 2009 www.cyclingfans.com

 

Univest Grand Prix adds team time trial stage in Allentown, Pa.

Allentown, PA (July 31, 2009) – The Univest Grand Prix, the finale of the USA Cycling Pro Tour, expands for 2009 with the addition of a team time trial stage in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Friday, September 11. The Univest Grand Prix will now become a two-day UCI 2.2 (Pro-Am stage race) consisting of the opening TTT and followed by the famed Univest Grand Prix road race with start and finish in Souderton, Pennsylvania.

Universal Sports to Broadcast Vuelta a Espana Online and on TV

Press Release --

Universal Sports Inks Four-Year Deal
to Broadcast the Vuelta a Espana

Network Now Home to Two of the Three Grand Tours of Road Cycling

 

LOS ANGELES (July 28, 2009) – Universal Sports announced today it has inked an exclusive four-year multimedia deal to broadcast the Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain),  a three-week road cycling stage race that is one of the three Grand Tours of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar.  Universal Sports will broadcast throughout next month’s Vuelta, beginning with the start in Assen, Holland, on August 29, and ending in Madrid, Spain, on September 22. 

Tour de Cycling - Monday


Tour de France Online Game

- French sports daily L'Equipe is reporting that Andreas Kloden, Yaroslav Popovych, Gregory Rast and Haimar Zubeldia, currently all with Astana, will join Lance Armstrong at Team RadioShack next season.  They assume that Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner will also join RadioShack but do not have firm info on that.  They also report that RadioShack is close to a deal with Andy Schleck, second overall in the 2009 Tour de France; however, negotiations have been slowed because RadioShack does not want to take Andy's brother Frank. (L'Equipe)

- More Tour de Cycling - Monday, including more Tour de France photos and videos, to come...


2009 Tour de France:  In Paris, Alberto Contador (Astana) celebrates a second overall victory
in the Tour de France.
photo Copyright © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti for cyclingfans.com


2009 Tour de France:  Andy Schleck (second, Team Saxo Bank), Contador and Lance Armstrong (third overall) on the podium. Schleck and Contador should battle for years to come.  Armstrong, in a comeback considered successful by most observers, has vowed to come back stronger in 2010, with his new team, RadioShack.
photo Copyright © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti for cyclingfans.com


2009 Tour de France:  Like a rocket, Mark Cavendish (Columbia-HTC) sprinted to a historic 6th stage win in this Tour and a stunning 10th in two Tours.  No rider had ever before won 6 stage sprints in the same Tour.
photo Copyright © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti for cyclingfans.com

Tour de France Online Game

Tour de France Online Game
Deadline for signing up:  6pm U.S. Eastern TODAY (12 midnight CEST (Paris time))

Once you sign up (free), you become director for your team and the duration of the game is 3 weeks, just like in the real Tour.  Your team will compete in simulated stages, the same stages in the real 2009 Tour de France starting with the Monaco Time Trial through the stage to Mont Ventoux and into Paris.

Signing up today means you compete in the simulated Stage 1 Monaco Time Trial tomorrow, Monday.  Note:  You set up your team strategy, etc. ahead of time, before each stage.  You do NOT need to be at your computer when the simulation for each stage is run; you can check back anytime for stage results and to prepare your riders for the next day's stage.

Each day, you build your riders' skills, set the tactics for the next stage (for example, which riders to send into breakaways and when), make sure your riders get massages, etc.

You may sign up for multiple game plays (you direct multiple teams) but each registration requires a different email address.

The game can be played until August 20.  Cash prizes will be determined after that date.

For more info and/or to sign up, click here.

Team Radio Shack, Lance Armstrong's new cycling team

 

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Follow cyclingfans on Twitter and never miss a race. Cyclingfans.com: The #1 source on the internet for live race coverage.

 

Breaking news:  Team Radio Shack to be Lance Armstrong's new team

- VIDEO:  Lance Armstrong announces Team Radio Shack.

- Lance Armstrong's Team Radio Shack website now active.

- Team Radio Shack is now on Twitter.

- Team RadioShack press release.

- Announcement expected after Time Trial, possibly around 18:00 CET (12pm U.S. Eastern)

- Below, how we broke this story yesterday.

- More when available -

-----------------------------

Speculation is rampant regarding the name of the new American sponsor that Lance Armstrong has found for his team in 2010 and beyond.  Armstrong is expected to announce the new partnership tomorrow, Thursday.

As we reported 9 days ago, Armstrong seemed to rule out the long-rumored Nike and Livestrong as title sponsors on French television, though they no doubt will be team partners in some capacity.

Among the other companies or brands thrown into the mix in the online world, some obviously in jest, some wishful thinking and with absolutely no supporting evidence:  Oracle, Google, Apple, Twitter, FRS, Zappos/Amazon, Nutella.  (I vote for Nutella!)

Now we can add another one to the list:  Radio Shack

ESPN's Bonnie Ford posted the following message via Twitter late today France time (she is on site covering the Tour):

"Two words: Radio Shack."

Now, for all we know Bonnie Ford needed an adapter for her cell phone and found one at a Radio Shack in France and just wanted to give them a shout out.  But consider this:  Radio Shack headquarters are in Armstrong's home state of Texas (Fort Worth).  They are a technology company, which is consistent with most of the other unsubstantiated rumors out there.  They have retail stores in North America, Central America, South America, Europe and Africa.  (Tandy/Radio Shack stores have bailed me out on a few occasions in France.)  Radio Shack is a sponsor in NASCAR racing.  Radio Shack has also been the official consumer electronics retailer of the National Basketball Association.  So there is already an established relationship with professional sports.

And with the recent demise of Circuit City, perhaps Radio Shack wants to take a new run at challenging Best Buy and sees sponsoring Lance Armstrong's team as a start.

In a sport, cycling, that is increasingly relying on technology, and where the riders love their gadgets, from mp3 players to advanced cell phones, Radio Shack seems like a natural choice for a cycling team's title sponsor.

And perhaps an extra-sportive reason that Johan Bruyneel led the effort last week at the Tour de France to oppose the banning of race radios?

If Radio Shack is the team sponsor, Lance Armstrong fans will probably invade retail outlets within hours of an announcement.

Oracle, Radio Shack, Nutella.  We should know tomorrow.

Update:  Someone tweeted me their vote for Dell and a couple of people have tweeted the following link: 

Oracle Cycling

Update:  It is definitely looking now like it is going to be:

Team Radio Shack

The domain, teamradioshack.com, is registered to CSE Cycling of Austin, Texas.  This is Armstrong agent Bill Stapleton's sports agency that previously registered thepaceline.com.  (Thanks Chris Capellini for this final bit of info that ties it all together!)

Latest Update:  We note that the teamradioshack.com domain (which is not yet active) was registered just a couple of days ago, on July 20.  The domain is currently reserved for just two years, to 2011.

-Pete

 

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Tour de France Stage 18 Annecy Time Trial Start Order and Times

- Update:  For our full Stage 18 Live Coverage Guide, including full TT start order and times, please go here.

- Below are partial Annecy Time Trial Start Order and Times.  Full times to come later.  Times listed are local.  (Times in parentheses are U.S. Eastern)

Riders will depart every two minutes; the final 23 riders will depart every three minutes.  The first rider to depart will be Yauheni Hutarovich, at 11:10 CET.

11:10 CET (5:10am) Hutarovich
12:00 CET (6:00am) Mondory
13:00 CET (7:00am) Pozzato
14:00 CET (8:00am) Kern
15:00 CET (9:00am) Lefevre
16:02 CET (10:02am) Goubert
16:35 CET (10:35am) Kloden
16:38 CET (10:38am) Armstrong
16:41 CET (10:41am) Schleck F.
16:44 CET (10:44am) Schleck A.
16:47 CET (10:47am) Contador

 

Tour de Cycling - Monday

Tuesday's Tour de France Stage 16 Profile

 

- Tuesday's Tour de France Stage 16 departs Martigny at 12:55 CET (6:55am U.S. Eastern) and is expected in Bourg-Saint-Maurice between 17:11 and 17:41 CET (11:11am and 11:41am U.S. Eastern).  Tour de France live coverage on Versus TV is scheduled to begin at 6:30am U.S. Eastern (6:55am U.S. Eastern for the Versus live streaming).  Live coverage on Eurosport is scheduled to begin at 12:45 CET (6:45am U.S. Eastern).  Live coverage on France 2 is scheduled to begin at 13:50 CET (7:50am U.S. Eastern).

- Today is the second and final rest day at the Tour de France.  More Tour de Cycling - Monday to come...

40 years ago, Armstrong landed on Mont Ventoux the moon


NASA today celebrates the 40th anniversary of the first landing by humans
on the moon.  Commander Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin landed on
the moon while pilot Michael Collins orbited above the surface.  Now that's all
well and good except as you can clearly see above, they really landed on
Mont Ventoux, the "Giant of Provence" in France.  Aside from scaling and cropping,
no modifications were made to the above two photos.  In other words, I busted NASA.
But seriously, I'm a big fan of the brave men and women who explore space. -Pete
Copyright © Pete Geyer/cyclingfans.com


Another Armstrong on the "moon".  Lance on Mont Ventoux, 2004 Dauphine Libere.  Armstrong has never won on Ventoux.  Perhaps he'll get another shot on Saturday's penultimate stage of the 2009 Tour de France.
Copyright © 2004 Pete Geyer/cyclingfans.com

2009 Tour de France Art: Cycling paintings by Rob Ijbema

2009 Tour de France:  Stage 5, Cap d'Agde-Perpignan
acrylic on paper 6x8"
Copyright © 2009 Rob Ijbema
Rob Ijbema is busy painting the 2009 Tour de France.  You may recall we featured
his work during the 2009 Giro d'Italia.  If that experience was any indication, his Tour paintings
are going to sell very quickly.  Check them out at his blog, Painting le Tour.  -Pete
 

2009 Tour de France:  A relieved Alberto Contador (Astana) celebrates on the podium
after winning Stage 15 and taking over the race lead.  Teammate Lance Armstrong
moved up to second place overall but lost time to Contador and sits at 1:37 back.
photo Copyright © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti/cyclingfans.com

- More Tour de France Stage 15 photos to come later today...

 

Remembering Lauri Aus (1970-2003)

2003 Paris-Camembert:  Lauri Aus (AG2R-Prevoyance)
of Estonia signs autographs before the start.
photo Copyright © 2003 Pete Geyer/cyclingfans.com

2003 Four Days of Dunkirk, Stage 4, Boulogne-sur-mer:  Lauri Aus (AG2R-Prevoyance),
Saulius Ruskys (Marlux-Wincor Nixdorf), and Jacky Durand (FDJeux.com) were dropped but
hung on to finish the stage, 26 minutes behind winner Christophe Moreau.
photo Copyright © 2003 Pete Geyer/cyclingfans.com

It was six years ago today, on July 20, 2003, that popular pro cyclist Lauri Aus (AG2R) was killed while training in his native Estonia, struck from behind by a drunk driver.  Aus wasn't on the AG2R Tour team that year but he did ride in support of fellow Estonian sprinter Jaan Kirsipuu in the 1997 and 2000 Tours.  A moment of silence was held in Aus's memory at the start of Stage 15 of the 2003 Tour.  Aus notably finished 5th in the 1992 Olympics road race behind gold medal winner, the late Fabio Casartelli, a Motorola teammate of Lance Armstrong.  Armstrong finished that race in 14th place in the same time as Aus.

We haven't forgotten.

Laura Antoine, an American podium girl at the Tour de France


By special request, introducing Laura Antoine, the American podium girl at the Tour de France...  (You may have seen her featured on Versus the other day.  Link below.  I've had a few requests for photos of Laura, so here you are...)

2009 Tour de France:  American Laura Antoine, left, on the podium with
best young rider Andy Schleck (Team Saxo Bank) after yesterday's Stage 15.
photo Copyright © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti/cyclingfans.com

2009 Tour de France:  American Laura Antoine, Skoda podium girl.
photo Copyright © 2009 Fotoreporter Sirotti/cyclingfans.com
 

Laura is a model from Saint Louis, Missouri.  She has worked at the Lido in Paris  (A number of American women indeed dance at the Lido and Crazy Horse in Paris.)  Laura was recently featured on Versus.  -Pete


 

2009 Tour of Missouri Live Coverage: Television and Online

The 2009 Tour of Missouri (September 7-13) is a go, so we can begin to look forward to live and delayed coverage options for the race.

In a media conference call today involving Missouri Lt. Governor Peter Kinder, Chris Aronhalt (Medalist Sports) and Steve Brunner (King of the Mountain Sports), cyclingfans.com learned that the state of Missouri, and cycling fans, can expect a record amount of Tour of Missouri TV hours: 28 hours of televised coverage.

According to Brunner, 2009 Tour of Missouri coverage can currently be summarized as follows:

 

- Live streaming video online/webcast

- Live broadcast on Universal Sports

- Tape delay on Versus

- Tape delay on Fox Sports Midwest

 

 

 

 

 

We will have more information as available.  cyclingfans.com will of course publish a complete guide to 2009 Tour of Missouri Live Coverage.

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