Month: July 2009

TdF Stage 6 – The rain in Spain

Richard MasonerJuly 9, 2009Leave a Comment

Rain + mountain roads + speeding bike race = crashes.

I won’t spoil it for you all just yet, but the interesting players were David Millar, Amets Txurruka, Oscar Freire and Thor Hushovd.

Links out to commentary, race results, and photos (with spoilers) below…

David Millar pants like a race horse after his tremendous breakaway effort in Stage 6.

Tour de France 2009 Stage Six

The riders near the beginning of Stage 6 Tour de France 2009.

Tour de France 2009 Stage Six

Team Astana during Tour de France Stage 6 from Girona to Barcelona.

Tour de France 2009 Stage Six

Thor Hushovd on the podium after his explosive sprint finish.

Tour de France 2009 Stage Six

Posted In tour de france 2009

Sartorialist likes Velib

Richard MasonerJuly 9, 20092 Comments on Sartorialist likes Velib

Two bike posts about the Sartorialist in one week!

This week, Scott Schuman is posting fashion photos from Paris. He writes of the Velib rental bikes:

These rental bikes are changing my relationship with Paris. Before I felt so trapped by the lack of taxis and a challenging subway system (those connecting tunnels are the devil). This past men’s season I started using these bikes, and now I feel a power of control over getting from one place to the next easily.

Read more: “Short Cycle Paris.”

Posted In fashion 2009

Tour de France: Bernard Hinault on Stage 6

Richard MasonerJuly 9, 20092 Comments on Tour de France: Bernard Hinault on Stage 6

Update: Click here for Tour de France Stage 6 results. The race turned out nothing at all like I surmised it might below!

In video below, Bernard Hinault gives a “just the facts” summary of today’s stage 6 from Gerone to Barcelona. He gives some advice to Fabian Cancellara, telling him to stay on Lance Armstrong’s wheel to retain the yellow jersey.

My prediction: I think the story today will be Alberto Contador as he enters his native Spain. Team Astana has kept Contador relatively fresh coming into Stage 6, and his climbing legs will serve him well on the moderate terrain on today’s stage. Maybe he won’t win, but I see him gaining the yellow jersey today after he makes up the 19 seconds that current leader Cancellara has on him. Stage 6 isn’t mountainous enough to kill time trialing specialist Cancellara, but he and Saxo Bank will have to work for him to retain the lead.

Tour de France 2009 - 15-km individual time-trial and first stage - Monaco

I think Stage 6 will also be the moment of truth when the question of Astana’s leadership will be defined.

I’m writing this late Wednesday night; by the time most Americans read this Stage 6 preview the Stage 6 results will be known as the racers cross the finish line in Barcelona at about 8 AM USA Pacific Time.

Posted In tour de france 2009

CamelBak’s "Better Bottle" really is better

Richard MasonerJuly 8, 20098 Comments on CamelBak’s "Better Bottle" really is better

It’s no secret that I’m a fan of CamelBak’s water bottles and hydration packs. The no-bite valve is okay — I’ve been using traditional water bottles for so long that biting the valve to pull it open is automatic — but I especially like that CamelBak’s bottle doesn’t give my water a plastic taste like most bicycle water bottles do.

CamelBak funded a study at Pepperdine University to quantify just how much better their “better bottle” really is. They compared how much water subjects drank when they used CamelBak’s bottle versus other kinds of water bottles: reusable plastic and metal bottles along with disposable PET water bottles.

In the study, screw cap bottles are compared against CamelBak’s bottle with a valve, so that’s either cheating or and advantage for the valve, depending on your perspective. Personally, I know I tend to drink a lot more with a valve then with a screw top container, and the Pepperdine drink study matches my experience — the test subjects drank more water when they used the bite valve over screw top containers.

CamelBak’s “Better Bottles” are not your squeeze bottles typically put into your bottle cage; they’re more like the polycarbonate lab sample bottles that have become popular with hikers. They’re BPA and pthalate free. Nalgene also now sells their lab bottles made with the same Tritan plastic.

More info on CamelBak’s Drink Study here.

What I’d really like to try is CamelBak’s RaceBak hydration vest. Has anybody tried this out yet?

Posted In Uncategorized

2009 Tour de France Stage 5 photos

Richard MasonerJuly 8, 20098 Comments on 2009 Tour de France Stage 5 photos

Bike World News has some interesting trivia regarding Stage 5 today. For example, Fabian Cancellara broke the record for most days spent in yellow by a Swiss rider. Read more at Bike World News.

All photos used with permission / Getty Images. Hover over images for full attribution and captions.

Frenchman Thomas Voeckler of Bbox Bouygues Telecom celebrates his first place finish during stage five of the 2009 Tour de France from Le Cap d’Agde to Perpignan on July 8, 2009 in Perpignan, France.

Tour de France 2009 Stage Five

Tony Martin of Germany and Team Columbia HTC rides at the front of the peloton during stage 5 of 2009 Tour de France from Le Cap D’ Agde to Perpignan the on July 8, 2009.

Tour de France 2009 Stage Five

Mark Cavendish of Great Britain and Team Columbia HTC celebrates on the podium after receiving the green jersey at the end of stage five of the 2009 Tour de France

Tour de France 2009 Stage Five

Fabian Cancellara once again dons the Yellow Jersey.

Tour de France 2009 Stage Five

Posted In tour de france 2009