Tag: Cycling

USPRO Time Trial Photo Gallery

USPRO Time Trial Start List

Looks like there’s only 15 starters for the USPRO Time Trial Championships tomorrow.  Notable names included in the bunch include Phinney, Leipheimer, Zwizanski, and Mumford.  This is Phinney’s first Elite TT Nationals, and he is an AMAZING time trialist, so plan on a podium from him.  Supposedly, he was seen recon riding  the course yesterday, so he should be well prepared.

Looking at the start sheet, I noticed there were NO BMC RIDERS RACING THE TIME TRIAL.  Stand by for a full frontal assault by BMC in support of Greenville local, George Hincapie, at the Road Race on Sunday.

I think I’ve got a ride in a team car figured out for tomorrow, so stay tuned for updates on Twitter at @VeloReviewsTech and @probikewrench.

Order       Start         Last Name                First Name                     Team

1                  11:30          JONES                         Carter                      Jelly Belly p/b Kenda

2                  11:33          KING                           Benjamin               Trek Livestrong U23

3                  11:36          WILLIAMS               David                       Bissell Pro Cycling Team

4                  11:39          FREY                          Nicholas                 Jamis-Sutter Home

5                  11:42          STETINA                   Peter                       Garmin-Transitions

6                  11:45          MACH                         Paul                         Bissell Pro Cycling Team

7                  11:48         POWERS                     Jeremy                   Jelly Belly p/b Kenda

8                  11:51          TIETZEL                    Scott                        Mountain Khakis/Jittery Joes

9                  11:54          HEGYVARY            Adrian                     UnitedHealthCare p/b Maxxis

10                11:57         BUSCHE                    Matthew                  Team RadioShack

11                12:00         MUMFORD              Jonathan                Kelly Benefit Strategies

12                12:03         VANULDEN            Bernard                  Jelly Belly p/b Kenda

13                12:06         ZWIZANSKI            Scott                        Kelly Benefit Strategies

14                12:09         PHINNEY                 Taylor                     Trek Livestrong U23

15                12:12         LEIPHEIMER           Levi                         Team RadioShack

USPRO Kickoff Press Conference

The 2010 Greenville Hospital System USPRO National Championship weekend kicked off today with a press conference, featuring past champions, ProTour riders, and Elite level up-and-comers, all with an eye on the Stars and Stripes jersey after the racing concludes.

Representatives from the City of Greenville, The Greenville Hospital System and Medalist Sports began the conference with a series of comments that reinforced how great the partnership with the USA Cycling Professional Cycling Championships is, and how well the City’s emphasis on health and wellness aligns perfectly with the atmosphere and environment that the race weekend has encompassed for the past four years.

The profile athlete introductions and question and answer period started with Oz Sanchez, current World Handcycling Road Race and Time Trial Champion. Speaking on behalf of the US Handcycling Association, Sanchez expressed the excitement of combining the USPRO National Cycling Events with the National Handcycling Criterium Championships, saying that the collaboration takes handcycling to a whole new level.

Road cyclists that attended the press conference included Scott Stewart (Team Type 1), Ted King (Cervelo Test Team), 2010 Tour of Utah and 2010 Leadville Trail 100 Champion Levi Leipheimer (RadioShack), 3-Time USPRO Champion and Greenville resident George Hincapie (BMC), and one of the brightest up-and-comers on the professional racing scene, Taylor Phinney (Trek Livestrong U23), racing in his first Elite Road National Championship events.

The USPRO Time Trial Championships, being held Saturday at Clemson University’s ICAR (International Center for Automotive Research) Facility, is usually very lightly contested due to the road race’s precedence the following day. It is also affected this year by the participation of some high-profile US ProTour riders in the Vuelta A Espana (Tour of Spain), finishing this weekend. Reigning USPRO Champion, Dave Zabriskie (Garmin-Transitions) will not be defending his three consecutive titles because of his inclusion in the Vuelta.

Two of the riders being favored for the victory at the Time Trial were Phinney and Leipheimer. The two joked about the “young dude vs. the old guy” comparison and Leipheimer was ribbed about not wearing a proper skinsuit in the Tour of Utah Time Trial (which Phinney won), but both were very humble, and being the consummate professionals that they are, stated that “anyone could win.”

Of the riders attending the press conference, Hincapie was, without question, the rider that any smart cycling fan would put their money on for the race on Sunday. “Big George” said that the Paris Mountain climb was “his climb,” and that he rides it daily while training on the roads of Greenville County.

This year, unlike years past, Hincapie has a big team to support his quest for a fourth USPRO title. The most team help that Hincapie has had in the past has been one or two team riders and maybe a ProTour alliance with some other lone riders. Having won the race in Greenville on two previous occasions with the cards stacked against him, it’s safe to say that the odds are in George’s favor, and the sparks will definitely fly this weekend in Greenville.

Here’s the link to the recorded footage of the LIVE broadcast from the USPRO Kickoff Press Conference this afternoon:

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/9635207

*Cross-posted at http://www.veloreviews.com

Random Photos/Video – Cycling in September

Here’s an assortment of pictures/video from my Labor Day visit to the new Taylor Randahl Memorial Trails at Rope Mill Park (Woodstock, GA),  the Out Spokin’ Bicycles setup at the Woodstock Farmer’s Market, and racing at the Dick Lane Velodrome (Sept. 11th).

Next up is the USPRO Cycling Championships.  I’m not working as a mechanic this year, but I will be reporting with live Twitter updates throughout the weekend’s event, including photos, and possibly rider interviews.  You can follow the updates by following @VeloReviewsTech on Twitter.

You Just Never Know…

On any given day in Atlanta, a traffic jam can pop up anywhere.  For me, today was that day and the location was a few miles ahead of me…

I decided to take my Dad’s old van to work today.  I stopped at the gas station to put some gas in the car and grab a soda before my 8 mile commute down the interstate to the bike shop.  I kept thinking that I wished I had ridden my bike in, rather than drive, but I had a lot of old gear that I was taking down to the shop to get rid of, so it was a necessary evil.

About two miles down the interstate, traffic immediately came to a standstill.  We were going nowhere, and by the pace of the first 5 minutes of traffic, we would be there for a while.  After several minutes, cars started creating another lane in the shoulder around the two normal lanes of traffic.  It was getting crazy.  Unfortunately, so was the temperature of my engine.  I noticed the temperature gauge on the inside of the car start rising at a fairly abnormal rate and started to get worried.

After a few minutes of rising temperatures, the van started overheating and smoking.  My first instinct was to say, “Crap.”  I had to wait for a hole in the “shoulder traffic” to move the van into the grass on the side of the road and park the van.  I had to get to work and didn’t have a ride, so… I pulled my bike out of the back of the van and prepared for my commute in to the bike shop.

It was pretty neat riding around and through all the traffic jam.  It was especially fun to see the cops at the top of the exit ramp, looking at me like, “What did you just do?”  The thrill was fun for a second, but wore off when I remembered that I WAS wearing rolled up blue-jean trousers and sandals for the last 6 miles of my commute… sheesh!

I kept reminding myself of a video I spotted a few weeks back.  In the video, a group of cyclists take to the LA Freeway during rush hour to show how fast they could ride in comparison to the cars.  It was awesome!  Bottom line today was, you just never know what you’re gonna run into when you head off to work.