Pete reports on the the standardization of belts for bicycle drivetrain use.

I hope you all are having a wonderful Groundhog Day. I don’t know about Puxtawhatee Phil, but I’m pretty sure the local groundhogs in Santa Cruz County didn’t see their shadow today (not that Marmota marmox ranges into California…).

Tour of Missouri, September 8-14 2008

Twelve cities around the Show Me State have been selected as start or finish cities for the second edition of the Tour of Missouri, the cycling stage race to be held September 8-14, 2008 as the finale to USA Cycling’s 16-event Pro Tour Calendar.

The second Tour of Missouri has been extended from six to seven days after an extremely successful inaugural event in 2007, and will showcase some of the state’s most beautiful roads and rolling terrain, rich history, and diverse scenery, from the start in St. Joseph, site of the Pony Express, to Kansas City, to the Ozarks, to the bourgeoning wine country, culminating with a blockbuster weekend again with stops in historic St. Charles and the ultimate finish in St. Louis with the Gateway Arch as a backdrop.

Eight of the 2007 Tour host venues will return for this year’s edition, including Kansas City, Springfield, St. Charles, and St. Louis, which will each host a stage finish, Clinton and Lebanon which will each host a stage start, and Branson, second-time host of the individual time trial. A pass-through and start city last year in 2008, Jefferson City will host a stage finish with race circuits for the first time.

Joining the Tour of Missouri roster of hosts as a finish city is Rolla, and St. James and Hermann will each participate as a start venue, providing their communities the opportunity to see the exciting buildup to each day’s stage race, where racers sign in for the day’s stage, give interviews, and sign autographs for the public. St. Joseph, previous host of the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials for weightlifting, is a new start city.

“This event proved, in only its first year, to be hugely successful for all involved, most importantly the great host communities of the Tour,” said Lieutenant Governor Peter Kinder. “It was very successful for the state as tourism vehicle. People from 73 countries caught part of the event via live webcasts and more than 350,000 showed up on roads of the event.”

“The Tour of Missouri is perfectly positioned between the Olympic Games in Bejing and the World Championships in late September,” said Chris Aronhalt, Managing Partner of event organizer Medalist Sports. “We can expect the field to include some of the top cyclists who have either competed in the Games or are preparing for the Worlds. This will be a good course for them.”

The Tour of Missouri will field 120 of the world’s top cyclists, many of whom raced in last year’s inaugural race and were very happy with the terrain.

2007 Tour of Missour winner George Hincapie said, “Winning the Tour of Missouri was one of the highlights of my season. I received tremendous support from everyone and the fans along the route were awesome. The Tour of Missouri goes through some beautiful countryside and I hope to return in September.”

Photo: Contador Branson Stage 3 by Ken Conley.

I’m extraordinarily forgetful today. I forgot my bike helmet on the bus and I forgot my bike lock.

I’m not horribly worried about the helmet — the bus drivers are pretty good about taking stuff to the lost and found — but my awesome Planet Bike Super Flash light is connected to the helmet. I have errands to run tonight after dark, and I’ll have to depend on my significantly less bright Cateye LD500 (the one with the built in CPSC reflector) and Reelight tail light. Call me a nut, but on a Friday night with possibly iffy weather I’d like to be seen.

More important, though, is my lack of a bike lock. I absolutely need to run some errands tonight before I go home, and I absolutely need a lock since I’ll be in the high bike theft area of Palo Alto, California. Does anybody have any ideas? I usually keep a spare in the office, but I took it home the last time I forgot my lock. I’m a little low on cash, too, so I can’t really afford to just go and buy another lock.

Speaking of locks, my favorite lock company has a group on Facebook. Kryptonite is currently running a contest on Facebook — post a photo of a Kryptonite lock to the Facebook group page and the best photo gets you a free Kryptonite Evolution Mini, which is the lock I use every day (when I don’t forget it *doh*). To win, sign in to Facebook, join the Kryptonite Group and upload your photos. Add me as a friend while you’re there. I’ve been using Kryptonite U locks since the 80s and have never had a bike stolen.

But before you do that — any ideas on my lack of a lock?

“San Jose Cyclist” – Photo by me.

I often sit near “Jen” on the bus ride to work. We were talking cycling and she told me that in her teen years she was obsessed with an African American track cyclist. I assumed she was talking about somebody contemporary. She couldn’t recall his name, but after she started talking about what he had to overcome to even participate in races I realized her obsession was about Major Taylor.

The only post about Major Taylor I’ve seen on this first day of Black History Month is this good one on Major Taylor’s legacy over at Urban Velo. It’s a little different than you’re usual overview of Major Taylor’s achievements and “pie biter” quotes. Check it out and be sure to click through to the links for more in depth information on contemporary black cycling athletes.