Monday Musette - Special Wednesday Edition

With so much going on this week, I thought a special edition of the Musette was in order.  Here we go:

1. Tyler Farrar won today’s Scheldeprijs, continuing the fine form he’s displayed so far during this year’s Belgian Classics. It’s Farrar’s second win of the season following his victory in Stage 3a of the 3-Days of DePanne. More importantly, it’s the young American’s fifth major top-10 result on Belgian soil this season following his 3rd-place finish in the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, 9th-place in Ghent-Wevelgem, and 5th-place in the Tour of Flanders. All Tyler needs now is a solid finish in Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix to cap a fantastic spring for the Garmin rider. With Roubaix being a race known to favor the strong and powerful, Farrar’s streak might not be over.

As for the race itself, it pretty much went as expected. Filippo Pozzato was a last-minute addition to the start list; he finished in one of the front groups along with several other favorites for the Hell of the North on Sunday. Tom Boonen did hit the deck with about 37km to go, but was able to rejoin the leaders with enough time left to still finish 18th. I was a bit surprised to see Andre Greipel finish so poorly—especially after his team (and his mouth) worked so hard to position himself for the win.

2. Lost in the hoopla surrounding Sunday’s Tour of Flanders was an interesting Tweet from George Hincapie following some criticism he received from a fan via a comment at Podium Cafe.

First this:

Then this:

Not too sure if any of it's earth-shattering, but I find it interesting that the line between riders and fans grows increasingly thin thanks to sites like Twitter.

3. And speaking of George, check this out from his first year at Roubaix. Tears for Gears is a terrific site for fans of the 1990’s--it’s helping me getting over throwing away my old copies of Winning Magazine.

4. In case you missed it, here's this again:

Free online screen recorder

5. The Tour of the Basque Country is underway, and all signs point to the controversial Alejandro Valverde having a terrific Ardennes campaign. Oscar Freire and Garmin’s young squad seem poised for some nice results as well. Freire currently leads the GC, but tomorrow’s “Queen” stage looks certain to shake things up. Stay-tuned.

6. Speaking of Pais Vasco, Francesco Gavazzi won today’s stage for Lampre, a squad in an uncomfortable spot thanks to some doping products found in the home of Lorenzo Bernucci. According to Bernucci, the products belong to his wife and brother. Sure they do, Lorenzo.

Some are already talking about Lampre being booted from the Tour—could Vacansoleil finally get its chance?

7. And last, but not least, I did a fantastic ride this past weekend called the Hell of Hunterdon. If you happen to live near Philadelphia, you need to participate in next year’s edition (or for that matter, in this year’s edition of its sister-event, the Fool’s Classic). Just over 76 miles in length, the ride includes about 12 miles (18 sections) of some of New Jersey’s finest unpaved and gravel roads—like L’Eroica, but without the wine, costumes, and vintage bikes. If you plan on doing Battenkill next year, you’re a fool if you don’t ride the HoH as training.

The ride’s organization was smooth and efficient, and free beer and pizza were offered to all finishers. While I was a guest of the organizer, the registration fee was nominal for such a wonderful day—especially for those who pre-registered. Better still, of the 100 or so people registered in advance, 28 of them won raffle prizes from companies including Lazer, Belgum Budder, and Classic Cycling Essentials. Be sure to bookmark the event’s website, and add it to your calendar for next spring.

8. And by the way, I'm looking for a pair of 700x23 Vittoria Open Tubular CX's with black rubber and tan/skin sidewalls. 

I've also been inspired by a recent Twitter conversation to track down some Briko Stingers or Zens. 

Drop me a line at paveblog@gmail.com if you think you can help me out.

Have a great Wednesday--our Paris-Roubaix coverage begins tomorrow! 

Tour of Flanders/Ronde Van Vlaanderen - Live Stream

Here's a link to live stream of today's Tour of Flanders.

Feel free to follow us on Twitter for some live commentary as the race progresses.

Have a great Sunday!

Monday Musette - Weekend Wrap-up, Tour du Med, Radios, and Murcia

Today’s Musette comes a bit late in the day, so let’s jump right in:

Fotoreporter Sirotti

1. This weekend’s racing went pretty much as planned with Alessandro Petacchi taking the win in Italy, Robbie McEwan and Oscar Freire (today) taking wins in Mallorca, and Team Sky winning the TTT in Qatar’s first stage. The Etoile des Besseges ended with a bit of drama following Samuel Dumoulin’s relegation in the penultimate stage. When it was all said and done, the Cofidis rider took the overall title though, but only after a stomach virus ravaged the overnight leader’s hotel—leading to several riders not even taking the start Sunday.

2. Qatar and Mallorca continue this week, while the Tour du Mediterranéen begins Wednesday with 5 days of racing across southern France. For the most part, the race profile is relatively flat, but on the last day, the traditional ascent of the 1st-category Mont Faron ends the race with a bang (not to mention the rest of the categorized climbs that speckle the day’s route). If I were a betting man, I’d put my money on the Dutch with Vacansoleil’s Johnny Hoogerland getting the nod over Rabobank’s Robert Gesink. Gesink and his team have little to prove at this point in the season, but Vacansoleil needs every win it can get to earn one of the coveted Wild Card invitations to the 2010 Tour de France. Hoogerland’s performance in Marseille two weekends ago is enough to convince me that he’s the man to beat at the Med.

Others to watch? Alejandro Valverde could easily take the win, while his teammate Christophe Moreau and  AG2R's Cyril Dessel are France’s best hopes for a native winner. Garmin’s bringing Tom Danielson; we might soon know if the first half of his 2009 Vuelta was a fluke. And let’s not forget the guy we all love to hate, Alexander Vinokourov.

Regardless, my money’s with Hoogerland--you heard it here first.

3. And speaking of hearing, riders racing in the USA won’t be hearing directors in their ears anymore as it was announced last week that USA Cycling is banning race radios in all but its most prestigious events. While I won’t take sides (not yet, at least), I will take a moment to highlight what I consider to be an entertaining exchange on the subject between VeloNews’ John Wilcockson and Johan Bruyneel—on Twitter.  Here it is:

"Glad to see USA Cycling has endorsed UCI ban on radios/earpieces for all domestic races. Only ToC, ToM, Philly are exempt. Back to basics!"

"@johnwilcockson - BAD idea, John! Believe me..."

"@johanbruyneel So let's have a real debate on the issue, Johan. We can publish it in the next VN. What do you say?"

“@johnwilcockson - no need 4 a debate on this John. Do people want 2 discuss use of navigation system & cell phones nowadays? Don't think so!”

After you get over the fact that this exchange took place on Twitter, there are some interesting things to note. First of all, Johan Bruyneel really likes race radios—enough to use capital letters. Second, one can't help but feel the assault on radio usage must really be gaining steam—not because of the USAC ban, but because someone like Bruyneel is taking it SO seriously. After all, the ban won’t affect Bruyneel’s riders in any of the races Radio Shack plans enter, so why does he care so much? Might he be feeling that this is just the tip of the iceberg? Could he be afraid that other promoters—and maybe even the UCI—will be monitoring the situation closely in order to determine its viability in their own events?

It’s too bad we can’t see a Tour of California run in complete radio silence; it would be nice to see what kind of effect the radios (or lack thereof) would have in such a prominent event.

4.While we're on the subject of bans, The Tour of Murcia has banned all Italian teams in an apparent response to Italy’s ban on Alejandro Valverde. Talk about cutting-off your nose to spite your face!

5. In a related news item, Alejandro Valverde’s Caisse d’Epargne team is one of several Spanish teams not riding the Tour of Murcia due to safety and organizational concerns.

6. And last but not least:

Grazie, Franco.  We'll miss you.

Fotoreporter Sirotti

That's it for today!  Share your comments below: race picks, radios, and memories of Franco Ballerini.

Thanks for reading! 

Monday Musings - Giro Wrap-up, Boycotts, and More!

Lots to talk about today. Let's jump right in!

1. Better late than never for Phillipe Gilbert. We tagged him for Stage 4. He waited until Stage 20. It was a well-deserved win for a rider who's been in the thick of it since the season started. While other Classics stars were getting rested or arrested, he decided to contest a Grand Tour. If he rode for me, he wouldn't race until the Belgian Championship, then he'd be off to the Tour for another try at a Grand Tour stage win!

2. You heard it hear first: Thomas Voeckler will win the French Championship and a stage at the Tour.

3. We've already covered Danny Pate's near-miss in Stage 18, but in doing so we failed to mention the gaffe by Saxo Bank riders Bak and McCartney. Not sure what they were thinking (maybe Van Poppel switched teams for the day), but in the final sprint they made absolutely no attempt at teamwork whatsoever. (In case you missed it, you can see the video of the finish here.) Check-out how they began the sprint on opposite sides of the road!?! No lead-out, no attack-counter-attack strategy. Just two riders from the same team efficiently spoiling their numerical advantage. Well done, boys!

4. And speaking about tactical gaffes, let's return to Serge Pauwels, the victim of an error we discussed last week. While all of Belgium is a-twitter (no pun intended) with Kevin Seeldraeyers and his quest for the maglia blanca, Pauwels quietly finished with or near the leaders on the final 3 summit finishes culminating with 8th place on Vesuvius and 21st place on GC. While we're not getting too carried away, it's interesting to note, particularly given Sastre's success during the past week. If the Belgian Championships were next week, he and Gilbert would be my favorites. Maybe he wins a stage in the Tour de Suisse?

5. Let it be known: I'm officially boycotting the media boycott of Lance's media boycott. Actually, I had planned to say something, but I couldn't limit it to 140 characters. Seriously though if you want proof of my earlier claim that any bashing of Lance is like pulling the veil off Santa Claus, then please check here for several cases in point. And if you want more than that, check-out Bicycling's Boulder Report here and here. They've pretty much got the whole darn thing covered. Is that more than 140? Anyone else miss the days when the only number riders had to worry about exceeding was 50?

6. That said, it goes without saying that Lance has to be considered a favorite for this year's Tour. I still think the years he spent drinking beer and training for marathons will hurt him when it counts most, but he certainly has to included in the conversation. In case you're wondering, that conversation has started here and here. Don't know about you, but Contador can't be happy to read that Bruyneel is essentially going to wait and see who the leader will be once the race begins.

7. And speaking of Astana, I wonder if the soigneur/handler's hat in this photo following Stage 17 might provide a clue as to whom might become a major sponsor of the "new" Astana:

8. Not sure if you read Outside Magazine, but it’s worth thumbing-through periodically for the coverage they grant cycling. This month’s issue contains two bits of reading we found interesting. The first is an essay by Jason Gay in which he proposes that the extinction of the curmudgeonly bike mechanic is a bad thing for the industry. I’m glad to see someone’s got my back. As the article says, without grumpy wrench-monkeys, who will protect the world from this?


The second piece is an article from Bucky McMahon detailing his experiences at the 127-mile L’Eroica sportif event. It's a great chronicle of a legendary event.


Unfortunately, you'll need to grab a copy yourself, as the articles aren't available yet online.


9. Moving away from racing, Rapha has recently published an excerpt from the soon-to-be published second volume of their "Great Road Climbs" series. The topic: Mont Ventoux, the focal point of this year's L'Etape du Tour. As always, the feature highlights some fine writing and photography by Graeme Fife. With Mercury-Viatel in the 2001 Dauphiné the riders climbed Ventoux from the backside and descended mid-race into Bedouin. I remember the ascent as being very slow--after all I was in the second car. Sprinters (Jimmy Casper really hangs in my mind) and dropped rouleurs clung to the sides of my car like flies. They would hang-on until a commissaire came back and waved them off, only to grab another pull once the moto rounded the next bend ahead of my lumbering Mondeo. The weather went from sunny and hot at the bottom to cold and windy at the summit. The descent to Bedouin was one of the most terrifying of my life. Ventoux truly is site to behold.

10. The Rouleur website published a feature on Fausto Coppi's 1952 Bianchi. Wow.

11. Taylor Phinney won the U23 Paris-Roubaix yesterday. I'm trolling for videos as we speak, so rest assured that as soon as I find something I'll post it. Needless to say, the kid's a stud. I'm curious as to whom will line-up to secure his services over the next few years. Will he stick with Lance and Trek? Extra kudos too to his DS, none other than Axel Merckx, one of the nicest and most deserving guys in the sport.

The Infant in the Room

Oops! Should I have said "elephant"?

For several weeks now, Pavé has struggled with formulating an appropriate tone with which discuss one Monsieur Armstrong. On Wednesday's Rapha Continental Centre Ramble, Ben Lieberson and I shared a moment chatting (while I could still talk) about Lance-tiquette and how it seems that in many circles, any remark even slightly throwing criticism in Lance's direction is the social equivalent of saying "there's no such thing as Santa Claus" at a Sunday School Christmas party.

As a result, and to not alienate any readers, I've made a concerted effort to refrain from any comment or post that could be construed as Lance-bashing. It seems much of the media was doing the same.

But now, things have changed. The Service Course has done a wonderful job documenting the "scandal" surrounding Lance's recent media silence. In a nutshell, it appears Lance has been offended by the media's "insensitive" coverage of his role in the protest during the Giro's stage in downtown Milan last Sunday. He's apparently resorted to posting his comments via Twitter tweets and videos on his Livestrong webpage. (Even Cyclingnews can't get to Lance.)

But the media has proven once again that the pen is mightier than the s-word.

SNL - Celebrity Jeopardy (NSC)
Uploaded by nasuacara. -

A media boycott of Lance's Twitter has ensued--oh the drama! Whatever will we do to hear Lance's daily musings, learn about his meals, and share in various other bits of Lance-minutia?

Thank heavens for the New York Times! No boycott from them! (The picture on the web edition is Menchov, but the picture in the print edition was Big Tex.) Unfortunately for them, they've been forced to rely on lesser English-speaking stars like Michael Barry, Danny Pate, and Levi Leipheimer for quotes during the Lance-cuum. Here's my favorite line:

"Levi Leipheimer, a teammate of Lance Armstrong’s on the Astana squad..."

At what point will the world wake to realize that there's an entire team of riders wearing matching helmets and riding bikes with the same paint job? Levi's in 3rd-freaking-place and has a chance to win America's first Grand Tour since--

We hear all the time about how cycling needs to overcome its past in order to truly embrace a cleaner, more media-friendly present. At some point, we're going to need to realize that yesterday's champions are from yesterday; today's need room to breath. What's going to happen at the Tour? Will Contador ride himself into yellow only to be overshadowed by the scrum of media covering Lance's latest temper tantrum?

I'm sorry if this offends you. If it does, feel free to boycott my Twitter.

But please keep reading my blog.

We're still allowed to have opinions on those, right?

(BTW: We'll be posting a link to buy Brett Favre Minnesota Vikings jerseys as soon as they become available.)