one - BEGINNINGS

one - BEGINNINGS

First part of a documentary on Cervelo Test Team's 2009 race season.

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Bianchi Pista Concept

This just looks fast. Located on LIC. Asking $1500 for complete.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/que/bik/1302375701.html

Barredo wins a wet San Sebastain

This year's Clasica San Sebastian saw a wet peloton race through Spain's Basque country as Quick-Step's Carlos Barredo took the top spot ahead of Liquigas' Roman Kreuziger.

The Spanish rider made his attacks on the descents of the days last two hills with other riders going with him. Barredo and Kreuziger were able to break away from an unresponsive peloton in the last 5km and Barredo beat out the Czech rider in a sprint to the line.

"I never expected a win at this level...in a race like the San Sebastian Classic you have to take a risk to have any chance of winning," said Barredo to Velonews after the race.

Last year's winner and prerace favorite, Alejandro Valverde finished 17th and Alberto Contador, who was listed as a participant, did not race.

Pink Vintage Bianchi Frame

Nice looking Bianchi frame in pink, so you can pretend you just won the Giro in the 70s. Between 57 and 58cm. Found on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260454504761

Astarloza tests positive

The supposedly doping scandal free 2009 Tour de France just lost that title.

Euskaltel-Euskadi's Mikel Astarloza has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for EPO the UCI reported Friday, according to Velonews.

Astarloza won Stage 16, a difficult mountain stage, to much fanfare as it was the first major victory in the professional cycling world for the veteran Basque rider. His only other major win was the Tour Down Under.

UCI rules state that Astarloza has the right to request the analysis of a B-sample but if found positive he could receive a ban of up to two years by the Spanish Cycling Federation.

Astarloza finished the tour in 11th place. He was scheduled to start the Clasica San Sebastian on Saturday, but due to the provisional ban he will not race.

More information will be available later at www.Velonews.com

1999 Trek 5600 56cm

This is the bike Lance won his first TDF on. Before the Madone there was the 5600. It would go great with that old US Postal Service Uniform you have tucked away (and no I'm not talking about the one you stole from the mailman you have locked in your basement). $600 off on NYC Craigslist.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/bik/1291338355.html

Soma Pake

This fine looking ride is going for $900 n Craigslist. Soma Pake with some nice components.

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/1278712592.html

Bikes of the Tour (Part 2)

5: Astana's Trek Madone. What more can be said about the bike that grabbed two out of three top podium spots this year and has won a few tour's in the past along with the Giro and the Vuelta. Pictured is Alberto Contador's Madone.

4: Liquigas' Cannondale Super Six. This bike that helped Franco Pellizotti conquer the mountains (sorry for not having a pic of his custom Polka Dot Super Six). Cannondale consistently produces some of the highest quality race bikes on the market.

3. Cofidis' Look 595. Cofidis is a team that never really does much in the Tour (they get in every year because they're French), but they always seem to be one of the envy's of the peloton when it comes to bikes. This year the carbon Look 595 is no exception.

2: Saxo Bank's Specialzed S-Works Tarmac. While a few teams road this bike this year, Saxo Bank put it one display the best. Whether it was the Schlecks, Cancellara or even Jens Voigt, this Specialized helped make one of the best teams in the world even better.

1: Cervelo Test Team's S3. The new team on the block definitely has the hottest bike out there. The aero-carbon frame just looks fast and paired with Thor Hushovd or Heinrich Haussler, the S3 proves it is even faster. Pictured is Haussler's S3 from the tour.

Bikes of the Tour (Part 1)

I never understood in horse racing why people praised the jockeys. All those little guys do is whip an animal half to death for a mile and the one who does it best wins the race.

Luckily for us cycling is not horse racing and the men we praise do a hell of a lot of work. However in the spirit of praising the horse as well as the jockey, here are the best bikes from this year's Tour de France.

10: Caisse D'Epargne Pinarello Prince. The bike road very impressively by Luis Leon Sanchez and outfitted in Campy Super Record.

9: Euskaltel-Euskadi's Orbea Orca. The Belgians really know there bikes, even when it is a Basque team they're outfitting. This bike helped Mikel Astarloza grab a big stage win and sports Shimano Dura-Ace components.

8: Lampre's Wilier Triestina. While Lampre didn't do much in this year's Tour (do they ever do anything or just run out of steam after the Giro), this bike at least made them look good. Bike pictured is that of World champ Alessandro Ballan.

7: Garmin Slipstream's Felt AR. Felt stepped up their game this year with this aero-beauty and so did Garmin Slipstream. This bike took fourth overall thanks to Bradley Wiggins. Christian Vande Velde and Tyler Farrar raced pretty well on it as well.

6: Columbia-HTC's Scott Addict. Mark Cavendish uses this bike. Is that enough said, maybe but this bike does more than just go fast in a sprint. It also helped Tony Martin take second on Mont Ventoux and almost grabbed George Hincapie yellow.

Finale on the Champs Elysees

The 2009 edition of the Tour de France ended today as the peloton crossed the line on the famed cobbles of the Champs Elysees. Astana's Alberto Contador had his victory ride in from Montereau as he sipped champagne with his teammates and adorned the Spanish flag on his way to Paris.

Once in Paris the race heated up as the peloton began it's circuit up and down the cobbles. A small breakaway lead for most of the time on Champs Elysees but there was the inevitable feeling that Mark Cavendish would take the stage.

On the final appraoch down the Champs Elysees, George Hincapie brought the Columbia-HTC train out and away from Garmin Slipstream and propelled his teammates onto the final stretch. Mark Renshaw towed Cavendish almost up to the line before Cavendish exploded off the front to take the stage and his sixth stage victory this year.

As Alberto Contador crossed the line he put two fingers in the air to symbolize his second tour win.

Final Results:

Overall GC

1:Alberto Contador, Team Astana 85hr 48' 35"

2:Andy Schleck, Team Saxo Bank 4'11"

3.Lance Armstrong, Team Astana 5'24"

4:Bradley Wiggins, Team Garmin Slipstream 6'01"

5:Frank Schleck, Team Saxo Bank 6'04"

Points

1:Thor Hushovd, Cervelo Test Team 280 points

2:Mark Cavendish, Team Columbia-HTC 270 points

3:Gerald Ciolek, Team Milram 172 points

4:Jose Joaquin Rojas, Team Caisse d'Epargne 145 points

5:Tyler Farrar, Team Garmin Slipstream 136 points

King of the Mountains

1:Franco Pellizotti, Team Liquigas 210 points

2:Egoi Martinez, Team Euskaltel-Euskadi 135 points

3:Alberto Contador, Team Astana, 126 points

4:Andy Schleck, Team Saxo Bank, 111 points

5:Pierrick Fedrigo, Team BBox Bouygues Telecom, 99 points

Notes: Andy Schleck took home the white jersey for the best rider under the age of 26. It is the second year in a row he has done this.

Team Astana won the best team overall.

Armstrong's Bike for Mont Ventoux

This was Lance's bike that he road on today's stage up Mont Ventoux. It's a Trek Madone (obviously) and the frame's artwork was done by British artist, Damien Hirst. Hopefully this one doesn't get stolen.

Mont Ventoux (Stage 20 TDF 09)

This year the organizers of the Tour De France wanted to keep the race exciting up until the peloton comes down the Champs Elysees. This must be the reason why they made the penultimate stage finish atop the famed Mont Ventoux.

With it's eerie, lunar landscape and almost mythological history, Mont Ventoux is arguably the most famous, and infamous, climb in Tour history. It's the place where Tom Simpson died of exhaustion, where Charlie Gall was taken to his hotel in an ambulance after the stage, where Merckx had to receive oxygen afterwards and where Armstrong and Pantani dueled it out in a disputed win back in 2000.

Stage 20 was the peloton's chance to put their own mark on the "giant of the provence" and they did not disappoint.

The stage started out relatively slowly but picked up quickly as a breakaway formed around the 3km marker that included Cervelo Test Team's Hayden Roulston and Rabobank's Juan Manuel Garate.

For most of the day the peloton was lead by either Team Astana or Team Saxo Bank, although Team Garmin-Slipstream did put in their effort as well. Astana, however, held sway when the peloton hit the slopes Ventoux.

The severity and toughness of Mont Ventoux struck early as the peloton began to crumble and an elite group of climbers formed. That group included the yellow jersey of Alberto Contador, the white jersey of Andy Schleck as well as Lance Armstrong, Frank Schleck, Andreas Kloden, Bradley Wiggins and Vincenzo Nibali.

This group began reeling in riders from the orginal breakaway on the lower part but were unable to chase down the stone-faced Spaniard, Juan Manuel Garate, and the impressive young rider, Tony Martin of Columbia-HTC.

Throughout the day Contador countered every vicious attack thrown at him by Andy Schleck, who kept glancing back to see if his brother Frank would follow and hopefully move up in the standings. Frank Schleck, however, looked dogged and under the constant pressure of Armstrong bearing down his back, was unable to make any decisive moves.

Joining this elite group later on the slopes was the Polka dot jersey of Franco Pellizotti, who stuck with them just long enough to launch off in the hopes of catching Garate and Martin. Pellizotti would not be as lucky on this attempt as he began to lose steam as the riders passed the tree-line and eventually was passed again by the group, finishing eighth on the day.

Garate and Martin were neck and neck until the final meters when Garate, the former champion of Spain, surged ahead to claim Mont Ventoux as his own. With two riders finished it was the tour leaders next in line.

Contador seemed composed and did not challenge Andy Schleck for third place on the stage, he did however punch the air in triumph when he crossed the line. Armstrong finished fifth with Frank Schleck coming in sixth.

Bradley Wiggins was able to maintain his fourth place overall by crossing the line in tenth, although he looked exhausted when finished.

Juan Manuel Garate was a happy man after the stage. After leading the charge up the Tourmalet, he was robbed of a victory but now has been justified with a win on Ventoux.

"I am very proud because the team has tried everyday to win a stage at this year's Tour. Today was the last chance and I have found what we were looking for," Garate said.

Lance Armstrong secured his third place finish today by holding off Wiggins and Schleck. After the race the seven-time champ seemed philosophical about his standing.

"Hey, I can't complain... Coming out here and getting on the podium with these young guys, it's not so bad," he said to the Associated Press.

Contador also seemed pleased with the result as he, barring any unforeseen incident, secured his spot atop the podium.

"I knew that every minute that went by was bringing me closer to a Tour De France victory" he told the AP.

Cavendish get his fifth win (Stage 19 TDF 09)

The undulating stage 19 saw the peloton stuck together for most of the day and with only a few breakaways during the day, including an early attack by Cadel Evans, there was a big set-up for the final sprint.

With just over 2km left in the race, Team Columbia-HTC took control of the peloton and caught up with the breakaway of UCI world champion Alessandro Ballan and Laurent Lefevre . This set up for the showdown between Mark Cavendish and green jersey holder, Cervelo Test Team's Thor Hushovd.

Columbia-HTC formed up their now signature train for Cavendish and after a lead-out by George Hincapie and Tony Martin, Cavendish started his sprint a bit early but was still able to hold off Hushovd on the uphill sprint.

Hushovd was able to hold on for second and maintain his points lead, now 260 to Cavendish's 235.

Lance Armstrong was the only rider on the top ten to finish with the same time as Cavendish and gained some more time on his rivals, Bradley Wiggens and Frank Schleck.

RadioShack Team

After yesterday's time trial Lance Armstrong announced that he would join a new professional race team for next season sponsored by RadioShack. For more information, follow the link below to the Livestrong website.

http://www.livestrong.com/lance-armstrong/video/radioshack-and-lance-to-form-new-cycling-team-in-2010/5687253c-7dc3-45d2-aae5-9d028d738b21/

The Final Time Trial (Stage 18 TDF)

For a while it looked like no one could beat Olympic champion Fabian Cancellara's time of 48'33" on Stage 18's individual time trial, that is until the man in yellow left the starting block. As Phil Liggett said all day, the tour leader always wants to win the final time trial and Alberto Contador probably had that in his mind when he headed out on today's course.

The Spanish time trial champion blazed through the course around Lake Annecy and finished the race three seconds faster than Cancellara, with a time of 48'30". Besides winning the stage Contador was also able to gain more time on his challengers, with Andy Schleck sitting in second by 4' 11" in the general classification.

With only two days of real racing left it seems guaranteed that Contador will be atop the podium in Paris, especially with Andy Schleck's number two spot being challenged by Contador's teammate, Lance Armstrong.

Armstrong, who rode a decent time trial, was able to gain valuable time on his competition as his two main rivals for a podium spot, Saxo Bank's Franck Schleck and Garmin-Slipstream's Bradley Wiggins, both faltered and lost time on the course.

Wiggins, a former track champion and natural against the clock, rode brilliantly until the final kilometers where he lost time. Frank Schleck, not know as a good time trial racer, finished 35th on the day.

Armstrong was able to move up to third with Wiggins only 11 seconds behind him in fourth. Frank Schleck fell from third to sixth, while Contador and Armstrong's Astana teammate, Andreas Kloden is now in fifth.

At the end of the stage Contador seemed surprised by his win, telling Reuters that he was "really not expecting this," and that he was tired from the previous day's stage.

While the Schleck brother's are not know for their ability in the time trial, Andy Schleck rode better than expected and was able to maintain his second place standing. The white jersey holder was cordial and complimentary toward Contador after the stage.

"Once again, Mr. Contador surprised me. He rode a formidable time trial. He proved he was the best," Schleck told Reuters.

Tomorrow's stage is a light mountain stage that sets up for Saturday's climax up to the summit of the famed Mont Ventoux.

Merckx Corsa Faema- $795

Here's one for all you vintage road riders. The seller obviously know what he's talking about so I'll let him say it better...

Okay Cannibal fans, here it is. A fully and carefully restored, mid-'80's Merckx Corsa with lugged Columbus SL tubing in the rare Faema colors. The fork is original with matching serial number and square crown. It sports the original and period correct Shimano 600 group with NOS cranks, chain, brake pads, cables and saddle. The serial number is Z 9862 7C. The paint is original. The wheels are original, rebuilt Matrix ISO rims shod with brand new tires. The down tube lettering is pinstriped paint, and the other decals have been replaced with period-correct transfers. The Corsa steel frame rides like a dream with classic Merckx geometry and handling.

Seat tube measures 57 cm c-c. Top tube measures 56 cm c-c.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/lgi/bik/1282868186.html

2004 Colnago Dream

This seems almost too good to be true. $1000 for any Colnago bike is crazy but one with a Chris King headset and 105 groupset is hard to believe. Found up in Washington Heights.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/bik/1283300672.html

Shake Up in the Standings (TDF 09)

While Alberto Contador easily held on to the yellow jersey, some of his teammates however were not so lucky. Both Lance Armstrong and Andreas Kloden lost their postions to the brothers Schleck after a grueling day in the Alps.

The Schleck's made their move on the second to last climb of the day, the Col de Romme. They wore down Armstrong and Garmin-Slipstream's Bradley Wiggins but couldn't shake Contador and Kloden.

On the final climb, the Col de la Colombiere, it was a two-team, four-man job, with the Schlecks battling the boy's of Astana. With 16.7km left, Contador made the tactical error of attacking off the front, which instead of dropping the Schlecks dropped his teammate, Kloden.

Contador's move helped the Schlecks move up in the standings, while putting pressure on both Armstrong and Kloden in the final days.

With about 15km to go, Armstrong repeated his feat from Stage 16, breaking away from Bradley Wiggins and by the end of the stage was able to finish in fifth, only 2:18 behind the stage winners.

Contador, barring any unforeseen circumstances, seems to have the race locked up. All he needs to do is ride a smart time trial tomorrow and keep up with any attacks from contenders on the final two stages and the race should be his.

What will be more interesting will to see what Armstrong and Kloden do to regain their time over the Schlecks in the hopes of Astana sweeping the podium. One positive note for Astana, in that regard, is that both Armstrong and Kloden are excellent time-trialists, while the Schlecks, Andy especially, have a disdain for the discipline.

Notes: Thor Hushovd rode brilliantly for sprinter in the mountains and all but secured his green jersey in Paris.

Carlos Sastre did not look good after his attack on the Col du Romme and seems to have fallen out of contention. Cadel Evans and this year's Giro winner, Denis Menchov, also had poor performance's on Stage 17.

Franco Pellizotti had a good day and seems a lock for King of Mountains.

Jens Voigt Update (TDF 09)

According to a report by Velonews, Jens Voigt is recovering but will remain hospitalized for examination at the University hospital in Grenoble.

Voigt has a fractured right cheekbone and suffered a mild concussion. Doctors said his injuries were not life threatening, according to Velonews.

The Saint-Bernard Pass (TDF 09)

The second full day in the Alps, and the first featuring a hors categorie climb, proved a challenge to some and an opportunity to others.

Stage 16 featured only two climbs, the Grand and Petit Col du Saint Bernard, but nonetheless it broke the peloton up early.

An early breakaway, containing King of the Mountains jersey holder Franco Pellizotti of Liquigas, was able to hold off the main field for most of the day and helped Pellizotti secure more points in the King of the Mountains standings, as he was the first to crest both climbs of the day.

Astana kept control over the peloton for most of the stage as the group climbed the Grand Col du Saint Bernard and descended into Italy. However as the peloton hit the slopes of the Petit Col du Saint Bernard, lovingly called a mini-Alpe d'Huez, Team Saxo Bank moved up to the helm in the hopes of helping Andy Schleck gain some time in the GC.

With Pellizotti and a small group of riders flying up the hill, the remnants of the peloton dueled it out for positions in the overall classifications. Andy Schleck and his brother Frank consistently tried to break away from Contador but every time they moved the little Spaniard in yellow was right on their back wheel.

The group did drop Carlos Sastre, Cadel Evans and Lance Armstrong on the slopes. For a while it looked like Armstrong was finally showing his age, however with 34km left he blasted away from Sastre's group, passed a hurting Frank Schleck and met up with the Contador/Schleck group only a few kilometers from the summit.

After Pellizotti cleared the summit and began the descent out of his native Italy into France, groups of riders began to take on the cols tricky descent. There was a very scary moment when Saxo Bank's workhorse, Jens Voigt, crashed at full speed on the descent.

Voigt, a tour veteran, had to retire from the race after losing consciousness on the course. Medical crews rushed him to the hospital for tests, but no news of his condition has been released yet.

"I only saw (Voigt) after the crash and he looked very, very bad...I am just concerned with Jens' health right now," said Saxo Bank's team director Bjarne Riis to AFP.

Thankfully no more major crashes occurred but a big surprise lay in store for Team Euskaltel-Euskadi's Mikel Astarloza. After breaking away from the lead group with only a few kilometers left, Astarloza was able to claim his first ever victory in a major European stage race.

Astarloza's only other professional victory came in the Tour Down Under.

With the failure of Saxo Bank to find the chinks in Astana's armor, the GC standings remain the same and the only change was that Pellizotti gained a good deal of points in the King of the Mountains.

Michael Jackson Tribute Ride

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

The King of Pop

8/29/1958 - 7/25/2009

Quit staring at the "Man in the Mirror" and ride your bike. Time's Up is holding a Michael Jackson Tribute Ride in NYC. The ride meets in Tompkins Square Park at 7pm on July 24. Single white glove is optional. To find out more about the ride or Time's Up, visit http://times-up.org/.

P.S. I am getting a tee shirt made with that MJ painting on it.

Pursuit Bike

In Williamsburg, BK. Not really a practical ride for the streets but throw some drops on it and take to Kissena. $900

http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/1279534375.html

1980 Peugeot

Normally don't like Peugeot's but this one is in damn good shape. Found out in Brooklyn.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/brk/bik/1279688632.html

59cm Bianchi Axis cyclocross frame

$220

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/1279158709.html

Rest Day (TDF 09)

We'll have to wait a day to see Astana's Alberto Contador ride in yellow as Monday is a rest day in the Tour. Stage 16 picks up Tuesday back in Switzerland and goes through part of Italy before heading back into France to finish off the day.

Stage 16 also brings the peloton through the Grand-Saint-Bernard Pass, which has been absent from the Tour for 43 years. The Grand pass, a 30km, 2,469-feet high, hors categorie climb, is the first of the day and should prove a challenge to riders.

The second climb, the aptly named Col du Petit-Saint-Bernard is labeled a category 1 and comes almost immediately after the peloton finishes the descent from the Petit's big brother.

The legs should be hurting tomorrow.

Cool Video from Mash SF

The guys from Mash tour around Austin and go for a ride with one of the city's most famous residents... and it's not the lead singer of Spoon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNCPEzdZs5s&feature=rec-HM-r2

PINARELLO TELEKOM TEAM frame & fork

Now all you need to do is pack on a few more pounds and you too can look like Jan Ullrich. Ebay for $449.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Used-vintage-PINARELLO-TELEKOM-TEAM-frame-fork_W0QQitemZ280371484421QQcmdZViewItemQQptZRoad_Bikes?hash=item4147715705&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A1205%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

In the Alps on Stage 15 (TDF 09)

The Tour de France's first day in the Alps always separates the men from the boys and Sunday's stage 15 was no exception.

After a very reserved ride through the Pyrenees, where none of the main contenders really made any big moves, this year's romp through the Alps promised to be the battle ground where the winner would be decided. Stage 15's 207km course, which meandered into Switzerland after only 10km in France and featured only two climbs above a category 2, proved to be quite a challenge to the peloton.

A breakaway group, including Swiss national champion and former GC leader Fabian Cancellara, lead the race for most of the day, but was never able to gain more then four minutes on the main field before the majority of the group was swept up by the peloton on the lead up to Verbier. However, before the breakaway dissipated the Slovakian rider, Simon Spilak, launched a surprise attack on the lower slopes of Verbier.

This was a big surprise to many in the tour, as Spilak was almost disqualified from the tour on an earlier stage, when he failed to make the time cut. Tour officials allowed him to continue and he awarded them with a fantastic ride. Tour officials named him the most competitive rider of the day.

Spilak, however, was also swept up by the peloton and then the real battle began. The main field was torn apart as the elite climbers took off for their battle up the mountain.

Astana lead the charge as a group containing Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong as well Saxo Bank's Andy and Frank Schleck, Silence-Lotto's Cadel Evans, Garmin-Slipstream's Bradley Wiggins and few other riders broke apart the field.

About halfway up the mountain, Contador exploded from the group and left the others chasing. Andy Schleck immediately pursued but was unable to close the gap between Contador and himself.

For the next few kilometers it was Contador doing what he does best, climbing. As Armstrong and teammate Andreas Kloden helped keep Astana's opponents at bay, Contador made up the six seconds he was down and more, taking the stage one minute 37 seconds behind the next rider in the GC, which just so happens to be Lance Armstrong.

"I'm very pleased with the result. It was not a very long climb but we tackled it very rapidly and I was able to move as I wanted," Contador told reporters, adding, "I saw there was chance with 5km to go and I did what was required to make a difference."

Andy Schleck finished second on the stage and moved into 10th in the overall standings. Armstrong sits in second overall followed by Wiggins, who moved into third.

Defending Tour champion Carlos Sastre of Cervelo Test Team looked as if he would fall behind early on the final climb but regained his legs and was able to finish high up on the day. He now sits in 11th place behind Andy Schleck.

After the stage the controversy over who was Astana's team leader seemed to dissolve pretty quickly. Amrstrong seemed happy to have Contador in yellow and content with his role as a domestique.

"Sure Alberto is the best rider. Sure he is the best climber," Armstrong told reporter, "As far as I'm concerned, I'm happy to be his domestique. I'm proud of him."

Extra Notes: Tomorrow, Monday July 20, is a rest day. The Tour resumes on Tuesday in Martigny.

*Correction: On the stage 14 story, it was reported that Mark Cavendish was disqualified from the stage. He was not, instead tour officials relegated him the last place on the stage.

Il Grande Fausto

The reason the url of this site is named what it is. If you don't know, now you know...

Cinelli Vigorelli

One of the best looking track frames I have ever seen. It's for sale for $800 and to read the description it's basically highway robbery if you buy the bike. Can't go wrong with Cinelli.

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/1254531113.html

Brooklyn Machine Works

Also from Philly craigslist and it's one badass looking bike. $950 and it's out in Yardley.

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/1258753420.html

Cinelli Olympic Pista

Found this on Philly Craigslist. The seller wants $1400 and says it's a Cinelli Olympic Pista with Columbus tubing, Velocity Deep V's with Phil Wood hubs just to name a few things.

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/bik/1261565240.html

Controversy after Stage 14 (TDF 09)

Tensions ran high in the peloton on the day before the tour enters the Alps and Team Columbia-HTC was in the middle of the storm. Columbia's star sprinter, Mark Cavendish, and the team's crafty veteran, George Hincapie, both got a good deal of press time after the race, but not for the normal reasons.

Tour officials disqualified Cavendish, the 24-year old Brit and self-proclaimed "fastest man in the world", after he shoved the current green jersey holder, Norway's Thor Hushovd of Cervelo Test Team in the stage's bunch sprint.

"When Cavendish saw that I was about to get past him on the right flank, he pushed me towards the barrier," said Hushovd to Reuters News Agency, adding, "His disqualification is logical. I can appreciate that he is faster than me but what he did is not normal."

Hushovd has 218 points over Cavendish's 200 in the points race and will likely hold the green jersey through the Alps.

Cavendish and Team Columbia were not available for comment, according to Reuters.

Cavendish's disqualification was not the only stroke of bad luck for Team Columbia-HTC. Team leader George Hincapie, who along with a mixed group of riders broke away from the peloton early and seemed to have the yellow jersey locked-up, managed to only come in come in second in the general classification, 5 seconds behind current yellow jersey holder, AG2R-La Mondiale's Rinaldo Nocentini.

Hincapie was angry after the stage and seemed to put the blame on Team Astana and Team Garmin-Slipstream for picking up the slack for AG2R.

Armstrong, who is on Astana and also a good friend of Hincapie, seemed unaware of Hincapie's anger after the stage, but on his Twitter page he voiced his opinion on how he would have liked to see Hincapie in yellow.

"No on, and I mean no one, wanted George in yellow more than me...Until 10km to go he was solidly in yellow until Garmin put on the gas and made sure it didn't happen." Armstrong said on Twitter.

Garmin putting "on the gas" might be attributed to the rivalry that recently developed between the Garmin-Slipstream and Columbia-HTC teams. There's rumored to be a bit of bad blood between the teams, especially with the success Mark Cavendish has had.

While Hincapie deals with the fallout, the Russian Serguei Ivanov can celebrate the stage after a spectacular breakaway with less than 5km to go. It was his first stage win in the tour since 2001 and the first win for Russia's Team Katusha.

All this controversy only adds to the excitement as the peloton enters the Alps on Sunday. With only a week left there is still a lot left at stake as the top four riders in the GC are separated by only seconds and the top ten by less then 2 minutes.

Many things are undecided, such as who is the real leader of Astana, Contador or Armstrong, also can Cavendish gain back the green jersey from Thor Hushovd and who will attack the Astana boys in the alps and challenge for dominance. Carlos Sastre is still there, as is Andy Schleck, Cadel Evans and Christian Vande Velde.

There is just one week to decide it all...oh, and don't forget Mont Ventoux is only 24 hours before Paris.

2000 Schwinn Peloton SS

The Bike:

Schwinn 853 Reynolds steel frame

Time carbon fork

Chris King Headset

Ritchey stem

Weinmann Deep V wheelset

Nashbar saddle w/ Ritchey seatpost

Michelin tires

Campagnolo Veloce brakes

Nitto track bars w/ Fizik bartape

Shimano Ultegra bottom bracket

Origin8 crankset w/ Sram chain

Manifesto

Purpose of this site:

1) To support a worldwide cycling community and foster communication between cyclists from around the world.

2) To showcase people's bikes and bike-related products. A cyclist is always proud of his/her bike, as it is an integral part of their lives, so people should feel free to submit photos and information about their rides.

3) To post listings for bikes available for sale or trade. There are a ton of great finds out there if you know where to look and we'll try to compile some of the best ones.

4) To advertise and announce cycling events around the world (with a heavy emphasis on the I-95 corridor between New York City, Philadelphia and Washington D.C.).

5) To inform the general public of the happenings/results of the professional cycling world. To many people's knowledge (hardcore cyclists included) of professional cycling begins and ends with the Tour de France. There are many epic races (i.e Paris-Roubaix, The Tour of Flanders, etc) that people should know about.

6) To voice opinions on whatever the writers of this blog feel is necessary.