Monday Musette - End of Season Awards (You Haven't Heard of Yet)

It’s the end of the year, a time for reflection, renewal, relaxation, and—awards. To me, most of the serious ones have already been awarded to deserving recipients. But here are a few that might have been missed:

The “This Contract’s Not Worth the Paper Upon Which It’s Written” Award

Maybe we need to blame EU labor laws for this, but it’s hard to not give this one to Bradley Wiggins. Here’s hoping he’s able to make good on the potential Sky sees in him. If he doesn’t, it could prove to be one of the costliest blunders in the history of transfers.

The “A Promise is a Promise—Until It Isn’t” Award

Specialized shocked everyone this fall, first by signing Alberto Contador to an individual deal then by leaving Quick Step to supply bikes for the entire Astana team. Was a contract broken? No, the agreement between SBC and Quick Step was due to expire anyway. But reading between the lines, one can’t help but sense that Patrick Lefevere felt a bit betrayed by Specialized’s sudden change of heart.

The “Wasted Breath, Wasted Time, and Wasted Blood” Award

This past year, several teams and riders signed agreements with independent doctors to monitor and publish their “health” findings—only to end these agreements later. First it was Lance, then Team Saxo Bank followed suit. Have you ever read The Great Gatsby? Do you remember the part when the narrator, Nick Carraway, tells us “he’s one of the few honest people that [he] has ever known”? It’s an important moment, for Nick is ironically one of the most dishonest characters in the novel. A fact made doubly important due to the fact that he’s the one narrating. The lesson: never trust a person who boasts of his or her own honesty—especially if they take it back soon after.

The “Innovation Most Likely to Actually Innovate” Award

At first, I think we all thought Shimano’s Di2 electronic group would prove to be nothing more than a passing fancy. Skil-Shimano and Rabobank domestiques were the early testers, but that was attributed to nothing more than a result of their sponsor-team relationships. But soon other, more important riders began choosing to use it—including George Hincapie. And now, several of the World’s fastest cyclocross racers are riding it and winning with it—in some pretty adverse conditions. I won’t be fully sold until it wins a major one-day road race, thus proving its reliability in races where one untimely mechanical problem can be most costly (like on the Poggio, at the foot of the Muur, or in the Arenberg Forest). But I think that day is coming—soon.

The “Innovation Least Likely to Actually Innovate” Award

It’s cool, it’s clever, and it might even work. But it’s not likely to gain a serious foothold in the marketplace.

The “Rider of the Year Who Has Not Already Won a ‘Rider of the Year Award’” Award

I’m not sure about you, but I think one of the best sub-plots of this year’s Tour de France was the mini-Renaissance of French cycling. I say “mini” because it will be difficult to fully proclaim France’s return to Tour prominence until they can boast of a true overall contender. That said, Brice Feillu gave it his best shot this year, winning the stage to Arcalis and finishing 25th overall—in his first Tour. Whether or not he has the talent to win the race outright remains to be seen, but he certainly deserves credit for a classy stage win that lifted the hopes of a nation in desperate need of someone to cheer for—all the way to Paris.

The “What Were They Thinking?” Award

When it was first unveiled to the press, I thought AG2R’s new kit might look pretty cool in a retro sort of way. Then I saw it for real.

And finally…

The “Best Blog That Uses European Cycling Jargon in its Title” Award

La Gazzetta Della Bici is a great choice, but it’s already won something. To me, the winner here is a recent addition to my Google reader: El Cyclista. It’s well-designed, offers focused coverage, and doesn’t overwhelm me with kitsch or angst. (A lesson I’m still trying to learn myself.) It deserves your regular visitation.

(Did you really think I’d create an award just for myself? Puh-lease…)

So I guess that’s it for the last Monday Musette of 2009. Who did we leave out? What awards do you have to share with the rest of us?

Would you like me to take a serious stab at identifying some "real" awards for 2009? I’m happy to offer my insights on the season’s important performances if you wouldn’t consider it redundant. If so, what would you like to see recognized?

Please leave your ideas and comments below. Thanks for reading!

Monday Musette - Interbike, Di2, and the Vuelta

While we won't be making the pilgrimage to Vegas this week, we are eagerly awaiting the various reports and eye-candy that make it one of the most fascinating of the year. Here are some things we recommend you check-out:

1. The good folks at IF have posted some pretty interesting photos on their blog about things to look for at this year's show. While they won't have a dedicated booth of their own, they're building bikes to be showcased by companies including Whipperman, EDGE, and Cane Creek. What caught my eye the most was this photo. I can't place the date, location, or anything for that matter, but I can tell that it looks F-U-N!

2. Our friends over at Handspun are also set to reveal some new goodies in the handbuilt, spoked-wheel department. For instance, David tells me that the Pavé-favorite Neo Classic clincher is due for an upgrade. From the looks of things, it will soon be coming with a deeper HED Belgium rim. To be honest, I'm a bit skeptical of an alloy rim with anything other than a box-section profile, but David's promised us one of the first sets to try and change my mind. Look for more to come--as well as a review of the current tubular Neo Classic.

And in other news:

3. It's become clear to me that by February we'll know if Di2 is here to stay. Competitive Cyclist noted earlier that Hincapie won the national championship on it, clearly demonstrating his confidence in the group's reliability and performance. Now Niels Albert appears to be taking things one step further. My eyes could be deceiving me, but take a look at Albert's bike from this weekend's cyclocross race in Neerpelt, Belgium. Looks to me like he's running Di2, no? If the group can survive the rigors of a European 'cross season, then at what point must we all take it seriously? Will we see winner at Roubaix next Spring aboard the electronic grouppo?

I can't help but wonder if Shimano wanted us to feel uninspired by 7900. By practically inviting us to criticize the group, they've given themselves almost the perfect cover under which to develop, tweak, and fine tune what might truly become the new industry standard. If Albert wins in the sand at Koksijde and the mud at Overijse and he does it with Di2, I just might have to consider myself convinced.

4. As for racing, Worlds is set to begin later this week. I'll be saving my official picks for later, but it looks certain to be an exciting race with just about everyone peaking at the right time.

5. The Vuelta shaped-up as planned, with Alejandro Valverde finally getting the Grand Tour win he so craved. While it's a terrific victory for Valverde, Caisse d'Epargne, and the Spanish fans, I can't help but think it will ultimately prove to damage his chances in other races. Let's face it, Valverde's never going to win the Tour. Let's hope his Vuelta win doesn't cause to him to forego his chances in other important events in exchange for glory that will never come in July.

6. And finally, is Roman Kreuziger inconsistent or what? Look at his results in the three races against the clock in Spain: 6th in the Stage 1, 63rd in Stage 7, and 5th in Stage 20. One can only wonder what he might have done on GC had he ridden to his potential in Valencia. And watch-out for Phillip Gilbert. He took 6th in the final ITT, a sign that he's in the shape if his life. Mendrisio beckons.

That's it for us today. What's on your mind? Headed to Interbike? Early picks for Worlds? Final thoughts on the Vuelta?

Share your comments below.