Monday Musette - Cross Worlds, Euro Openers, "Therapy", and Belgian Bikes

What a weekend!  Cross Worlds, European season openers, and--as always--some other interesting bits to discuss:

1. The obvious weekend story was the East-West showdown at Cyclocross Worlds in Tabor, Czech Republic.  Yes, the Wall has fallen, but a quick rundown of the results indicates a beating reminiscent of Rocky IV (the beginning of the movie—before the funky training-in-a-barn to the sound of “Eye of the Tiger”). 

 Photo Tim Van Wichelen

In the Elite Men’s race, the pre-race favorite, Zdenek Stybar continued his dream season with a resounding win before a home crowd.  While Stybar’s result wasn’t much a surprise, the way in which he won might have been, as the Belgian contingent seemed to have little response to the Czech’s display of power. 

 Photo Tim Van Wichelen

That said, the bigger shock came in Saturday’s U23 race, where another pre-race favorite, Belgium’s Tom Meeusen, went down quicker than Apollo Creed to not one, but two Polish riders--brothers no less! Meeusen--who the winner admitted is a better rider--could muster no better than 4th on a day that began with the young Czech Tomas Paprstka taking the first Rainbow Jersey of the weekend--a taste of bigger things to come for the Czechs.  

When it was all said and done, the only world title heading West belongs to Holland’s Marianne Vos, who stormed away from her competition early in the race—winning her second consecutive World Championship in the process.

While the traditional powerhouses—okay, let’s be honest, we’re mainly taking about Belgium—still have reason to be optimistic about the future, it’s clear that Stybar has a long and successful career ahead of him.  Belgium’s toughest competition might finally come from somewhere other than Belgium.

 Photo Tim Van Wichelen

But don’t worry, my fine Flemish and Walloon friends—you’ll always have beer.  Or will you?

2. In other racing news, the European season is officially underway in France and Italy.  Look for weekend previews to reconvene here every Friday—particularly as we draw closer and closer to more important events.  For now, I find it interesting that 2 new teams—or redesigned teams—took wins over the weekend with Jonathan Hivert punching Saur-Sojasun’s card, and Matteo Montaguti taking a win for De Rosa-Stac Plastic.  

Fotoreporter Sirotti

3. And by the way, I’m officially submitting Saur-Sojasun as an example of a team with kit I actually like.  That might not be saying anything, considering the overabundance of—let’s call a spade a spade—ugly designs filling the peloton this season.  Regardless, I like it—the Gitane’s are a nice touch too.

4. Moving-on, here’s another article from VeloNews on the “therapeutic” merits of PRP Therapy (platelet-rich-plasma).  Unless I'm reading it incorrectly, WADA seems to consider this method okay—for now.  Maybe I’m missing something, but how is this not considered performance enhancement?  Where is the line here?    

5. On Friday, I wrote about what might be considered a looming crisis in French cycling.  One of my astute readers mentioned that the same could be said of Spain.  Footon-Servetto, Euskaltel, and Caisse d’Epargne are Spain’s three Pro Tour teams this year (one more than France).  However, Caisse d’Epargne has already announced that this season will be its last, and Mauro Gianetti seems to struggle every year to put his team together.  And bikes?  Spanish makers BH and Orbea back two of the Spanish squads, but from there the list gets smaller.  Riders?  Aside from Alberto Contador and Carlos Sastre, Spain’s doing a better job than France of keeping its home talent at home—at least from a Grand Tour perspective; Alejandro Valverde, Samuel Sanchez, and Luis Leon Sanchez all ride for Spanish teams.  Classics-wise, the best Spaniards ride for teams more suited to their talents: Juan Antonio Flecha and Carlos Barredo come to mind.  

So is the situation in Spain the same as it is in France?  Not quite, but with a major team set to dissolve if a new title sponsor cannot be found, the landscape could change quickly.

6. Not sure where it fits in today's post, but Belgium Knee Warmers published a terrific article on Het Nieuwsblad.  We’re less than 4 weeks away!

7. From Belgian racing to Belgian bikes—sort of.  I met Craig Gaulzetti through my contributions to Embrocation Cycling Journal.  If you didn't read his piece on VDB, you missed perhaps one of the greatest pieces of writing from 2009.  He’s also a talented frame builder who has recently received some very favorable press for his efforts.  Aluminum’s his preferred frame material, and the style is all-Belgian.  These bikes are tools of a trade and are built to last accordingly.  Aluminum doesn’t have the cachet of other materials currently in vogue, but when you’re building something to be raced in an environment of incessant foul weather and bad roads, “en vogue” is not what you need.

Perhaps I’ve said too much—I hate sounding too “precious” about things like this.  Regardless, check-out Craig’s work—if you’re the right person for it, you won’t be disappointed.

8.  And speaking of bikes, El Cyclista has a terrific new piece about the current color palette of team bikes.  Of the 4 images he includes, it’s tough for me to tell which I like the best.  Aw heck, I’ll just kill two birds with one stone and say “Ridley”.

Thanks for reading!  As always, share your comments below.

My Favorite Rider

This was published earlier over at Embrocation, but with all the great comments following Monday's Musette, I thought it would only be fitting to share it here as well.  My one regret?  I forgot to include my 1994-5 Richard Virenque obsession following his Tour stage win to Luz Ardiden.  (I have a blue-white-red Timbuk2 messenger bag to prove it--so mid-ninties, huh?)

At lunch the other day, my friend Matt asked me who my favorite rider is.  Aside from being a good friend and a respected colleague, Matt’s also a recreational cyclist who has enjoyed learning more about the sport during our frequent lunchtime discussions. I wanted to give him a thoughtful answer, but his question stumped me.

That was over 2 weeks ago and Matt’s question still lingers.  Throughout the holidays I frequently found myself thinking about it, wondering which rider—if any—could be considered my favorite.

I came to the sport in the early 1990’s.  A mountain biker at first, a friend took me to the 1993 Core States Championship in Philadelphia, where I stared in awe as Lance Armstrong attacked to win the million-dollar Triple Crown.  He was young, charismatic, American, and fast.  He became my first favorite roadie, and a Specialized Sub-6 helmet and replica Motorola jersey became the centerpieces of my wardrobe that summer.

Then came 1996 and my burgeoning obsession with the cobbled classics.  Thanks to World Cycling Productions I was finally able to watch these legendary races unfold before my eyes.  My first order consisted of two titles: the Tour of Flanders and Ghent-Wevelgem.  As a result, Vittoria All-Weather, Briko, and Mapei were just a few of the year’s additions to my cycling lexicon, and Michele Bartoli (with Johan Museeuw a close second), became my new favorite rider.  It’s easy to see why: his attack at the foot of the Muur (you can find it on YouTube) left destroyed the other race favorites, including several former winners.  His position on the bike during the final kilometers brought to mind stories I had heard of Maurizio Fondriest riding rollers in front of a mirror, analyzing his form to make it look just right.  To me at the time, Bartoli represented everything exotic about the sport—an classy Italian winning the quintessential Belgian race was the perfect juxtaposition of what I considered to be cycling’s two best aesthetics.  Bartoli later won several more of what have since become my favorite races: Het Volk, Liege-Bastogne-Liege, the Tour of Lombardy.

Near the end of Bartoli’s prominence though, I entered the sport myself (at the professional level, that is), taking a job with Mercury-Viatel in late-2000.  My perspective soon changed.  No longer a fan, I became a colleague, even a boss of the men I had previously only read about in magazines or watched in videos.  Being a “fan” suddenly seemed out of place, amateur even.  As it was I was already struggling for credibility as a 24-year old American without an impressive racing pedigree; idolizing riders was out of the question.

After 2001 and my return home, my cycling heroes soon became the friendly, honest, approachable, and down to earth men I had to come to know during my time in Europe.  I felt thrilled when Peter Van Petegem took back-to-back wins in Flanders and Roubaix, proud to see Matt Wilson driving on the front at the Tour, and vindicated when Pavel Tonkov took his final stage win in the Giro d’Italia, his middle finger aloft in salute to all who felt he “just didn’t have it anymore”.

And now? Matt’s question remains unanswered.  Tom Boonen?  Sorry Tommeke, your affinity for nose candy reinforces the wisdom of “fool me once”.  Alberto Contador?  You had me at hello Alberto, but lost me as soon as you opened your mouth after this year’s Tour—taking the high road would have proved much more impressive.  Stijn Devolder?  A Flanders Double is great, but go win something else before you whine as much as you did last fall.  Bradley Wiggins?  Don’t even get me started.

Instead, this season I’ll be looking to the Vansummeren’s, Haussler’s, and Hincapie’s of the sport for my hero-fix.  They ride hard, win the races they’re supposed to win (well, almost), and do it all while keeping their mouths shut (unless you or your team really pisses them off).  For me, that’s good enough. 

Franco-Belge - Final Installment

The 5th and final installment of "Franco-Belge" has just gone live at Embrocation.

Head over and give it a read! And if you have the time, drop back and leave some feedback now that the tale is complete.

New Embrocation Column - Franco-Belge (Part 4)

Head over to Embrocation Cycling Journal to read the latest installment of "Franco-Belge". We hope you're enjoying the story.

Feel free to share comments/questions below!

Monday Musette - Cadel, BMC, Ghent-Wevelgem, and More!

Here's what's on Pavé's mind this Monday:

1. The twitterati were abuzz this past weekend with news of Cadel Evans' transfer to BMC. Twitter's an interesting phenomenon as it allows you to witness the evolution of the news as it broke. First it was revealed that Evans did not re-sign with Silence-Lotto; then came the lists of teams with which he might land including SKY, Garmin, Radio Shack, Astana, and AG2R. Teams soon began taking themselves out of the running--with Garmin making a particular effort to clear its name (maybe to prevent Wiggo from growing more hostile?) from the list--until BMC was finally announced and confirmed as his destination.

It's yet another in a series of bold moves for BMC who--despite my comments a week ago--apparently has aspirations for a Tour invite in 2010. Evans gives them a strong GC-rider and man for the hillier classics. It will be interesting to see how they use him: will he shoot for smaller stage races and the Ardennes classics before heading to the Giro for the win; or will the team earn an early invitation to the Tour, allowing Cadel his traditional build-up to the race he would so dearly love to win? I know I've said it before, but I think Evans (among others) would be well-served by a change in focus; he could easily win Paris-Nice, the Ardennes classics, Romandie, and the Dauphiné if he so desired. A Tour stage win or two would be possible before making another late-season assault on the Vuelta and the fall monuments. Of course, Evans will probably again place his eggs in the Tour's basket again, but maybe BMC can convince him to do otherwise--if they want him to.

2. And while were talking transfers, SKY is announcing its complete roster this Friday. Consequently, we might finally gain some clarity regarding the future of Bradley Wiggins. If he indeed leaves, will Garmin move to have Contador take his place?

3. Following on the heels of news that Gent-Wevelgem has been moved to the Sunday before the Tour of Flanders comes the report that it's being lengthened as well--from 200 to about 250km. And why shouldn't it be longer? It's no longer sandwiched on the Wednesday between Flanders and Roubaix, thus giving the organizers the luxury of adding some distance to attract teams eager to use it as preparation for the following weekend. What remains to be seen is how the teams treat the E3 Prijs--the traditional Flanders testing ground--the day before. We'll have more on this in a future column, but for now, it's some intriguing food for thought.

4. For those that have asked, the final few pieces of Pavé kit are being finalized this week. We'll announce the rest of the designs and ordering information soon. Thanks to all for expressing interest--we're looking forward to the legions of Pavé riders hitting the road next year.

5. And speaking of hitting the road, Fxdwhl took us on another terrific ride through his neighborhood on Saturday. Falling leaves, crisp weather, and some muddy singletrack were the days main courses (along with a pile of dog s--- I just couldn't seem able to avoid). You can see for yourself over at lockring.not.included.

That's it for today. For more reading, feel free to head to Embrocation Cycling Journal for the latest from Pavé as well as terrific pieces from some like-minded souls.

Enjoy your week! And as always, share your comments below.

New Embrocation Column - "Franco-Belge" (Part 3)

Part 3 of "Franco-Belge" just went live over at Embrocation Cycling Journal. Go give it a read, and feel free to come back and leave comments.

New Embrocation Column - Why the Vuelta Matters

Pavé's new Embrocation column "Why the Vuelta Matters" just hit the web newsstand. Go have a look--and be sure to read Craig Gaulzetti's column from last week too.

Share comments below!

Monday Musette - Univest, Vuelta, and More

Here's what's on our minds this Labor Day:

1. This coming weekend, the new and improved Univest Grand Prix returns to Southeastern Pennsylvania. The Saturday road race and Sunday criterium are joined this year by a Friday TTT in Allentown. The final start list is still to be confirmed, but it's already being rumored that Taylor Phinney will use the race to make his return to competition following a bad fall in the Cascade Classic.

But that's not the whole story. Along with Saturday's road race, John Eustice and his crew offer a terrific cyclosportif event for the rest of us to test our legs on the race course. All the hills will be there--a blessing or a curse, depending on your outlook. Pre-registration has closed, but you can still come and sign-up on the day of the event. Pavé will be there; hopefully you'll be able to make it as well.

2. The Vuelta intensified over the weekend with a time trial and mountaintop finish to separate the wheat from the chaff. Roman Kreuziger did a fantastic job of making me look like a fool, losing several minutes in Saturday's TT. Andy Schleck--the man I tipped for win--followed suit, abandoning on Sunday with a stomach virus. Right now, Alejandro Valverde and Cadel Evans seem to be the two main favorites, with Robert Gesink poised to play the roll of spoiler. Ivan Basso and Tom Danielson look to be making comebacks of their own, while Damiano Cunego appears ready to end his year with a bang--and the possibly the rainbow jersey.


3. For the past few weeks, we've been riding a nice set of Neo Classic wheels from Handspun, shod with a pair of FMB Paris-Roubaix tubulars. Look for more photos and reviews in the future. The wheels are currently being passed around by members of the Pavé test team to ensure as many perspectives as possible. It will be our first equipment review; we couldn't have picked a more appropriate product with which to start.

4. If you haven't had a chance yet, head over to Embrocation Cycling Journal for a new column by yours truly. We're also eagerly anticipating the arrival of Embro Volume 4. Look for our thoughts once it gets here.

5. And finally, our good friend Duncan from Here Come the Belgians has just launched his new team of the same name. You can follow Team Here Come the Belgians here; be sure to drop by and send them your best as they embark on this fall's UK cyclocross season.

That's it for today--remember, keep those cobble entries coming! We've already had some submissions, but there's room for all.

Have a great week; share your comments below.

New Embrocation Column - An Open Letter to Jonathan Vaughters

Pavé's posted a new column over at Embrocation. You can read it here.

Feel free to come back and share your comments below.

Postcard From August

And then it was August.

I know. It’s hard to get excited about the Clasica San Sebastian, the Tour of Poland, and the Benelux Tour. You don’t know where Burgos is, and you certainly have no idea what “Vattenfall Cyclassics” means. But rather than moan and groan about all you can’t do during the month of August, here are some suggestions for passing the time.

Peak. August is a perfect time for a late season peak, particularly if you just couldn’t get it done this past July. When I raced in Belgium, August constituted the doldrums of what amounted to a long season. Fewer starters, slower fields, and less aggressive fans all meant a much more user-friendly (albeit still ungodly difficult) racing experience. You probably encounter somewhat of the same wherever you live and compete. Maybe there’s a big stage race in July for which everyone traditionally tries to peak. Maybe several riders in your category were training for Nationals. Regardless, no matter where you live—if you can play your cards right—August is a month for taking the win that might have eluded you earlier in the season.
Sound like a cheap way to score some upgrade points? I think not. Savvy is the rider who looks at entire the season as a race in and of itself, knowing when to attack, when to sit-in, and when to save it for another day. Do you think Alessandro Ballan felt his win the Tour de Pologne was a cheap way to get some UCI points? Did someone come up to Tyler Farrar after winning in Hamburg and say, “well, you still didn’t win a stage in the Tour”? No. These riders were simply excited to take a win at a time when many other riders were too tired or slow to do it themselves. Maybe it’s a good month for you to do it too. After all, a win’s a win.

Spread Rumors. The UCI prohibits any official transfer announcements until September 1st, but that never stops anyone, especially in the age of Twitter. As a result, August is the perfect time to spread rumors. There are fewer major races, thus fewer opportunities to confirm or deny the veracity of what’s being said. But, the teams are still getting their ducks in a row for the following year, making it impossible for cats not to be let out of bags. Case in point: Team Radio Shack. Rumors are flying as to which riders will join Lance at “The Shack” in 2010. While the core of his Astana posse seems to be following him, there are still grumblings that stranger things might be afoot—like Levi Leipheimer and George Hincapie signing with BMC. Another rumor to watch? Alberto Contador appears destined to be somewhere other than Astana in 2010, despite the fact that his contract—and Astana’s management—seem well-positioned to prevent it. Regardless, enjoy this time; once the truth arrives, it will be quick and somewhat anti-climactic. Rumor-mongering is always much more fun than the facts themselves.

For the rest of the story, head over to our friends at Embrocation. But come back here to share your thoughts!

Embrocation's New Website

Our friends over at Embrocation have just launched their new and improved website featuring expanded content and columns from folks like yours truly.

Be sure to add this link to wherever you add them.

And you can read my first submission here.

That said, I'd love to hear your submission suggestions. What would you like to read? Stories from my days in Europe? Expanded racing coverage? Opinions and editorials?

The good folks at Embro have given me a blank canvas. Share your suggestions below or in an email...

Monday Musette - San Sebastian and More...

Some fodder for your Monday:

1. Congratulations to Carlos Barredo for taking a terrific win in the Clasica San Sebastian on Saturday. In doing so, he made Quick Step relevant for the first time since April. This is the kind of win that starts new phases in riders' careers (Barredo's only 28). With a win like this under his belt, it will not be a surprise to see Carlos in the win column some more between now and the end of the season.

2. Yes, we too were disappointed to see Kreuziger lose. Are there any more doubts about this kid's talent? And is Filippo Pozatto this season's version of Michael "Bridesmaid" Boogerd?

3. Did anyone else notice the abundance of Flemish flags at the finish line in San Sebastian? No wonder a Quick Step rider won!

4. Here's a great picture of Alberto Contador’s new logo. Subtle isn't it? I wonder if he meant to use a different finger.

5. There was an interesting article in Friday's NY Times about the debate in Aspen surrounding whether or not to have a celebration in honor of its newest resident's 3rd place in the Tour. I'll let you form your own opinion, but it must be nice to live in a town where the biggest issue facing the mayor and city council involves planning a party.

6. If you haven't seen it yet, here's a look at Rapha-Condor’s new kit. It's amazing how something so retro can look so cutting edge. But will Bioracer call them copycats?

And now for some recent highlights from a few favorite blogs:

7. Here's why Embrocation's Jeremy Dunn is our hero. Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious. (WARNING: the photo in the post contains a bit of nudity.)

8. Ryan at The Service Course explains how to start a rumor. Hmmm...this gives me an idea or two...

9. Pedal Strike's Kaiko has a new venture called Cassette. It's never too early to shop for the holidays!

That's it for this Monday--thanks for reading! And please, if you like what you see here, tell some friends and/or add us to your blogroll.

Have a great week!