Thurlow Rogers and Sue Shook Win Gold at Master Road Worlds
8/29/06 - Sue Shook (Cardiff/Hi-Tech Bikes) and Thurlow Rogers (Newbury Park, Calif./Sonance-Specialized) won gold in their respective classes at the 2006 UCI World Masters Time Trial Championships in St. Johann, Austria. Kenny Fuller (Corona del Mar/Cycles Veloce) finished sixth in the men’s Class 5 (1947-1951) category. Kim Stinton (Moorpark/Acme Racing) competed in the Class 4 category and placed ninth.

Thurlow Rogers and Lea Adams Place Third at Master Road Worlds
8/28/06 - Lea Adams (Newbury Park) placed third in the Class 1 women’s (age 30-39) road race on the opening day of  the UCI Master Road World Championships in St. Johann, Austria. Adams finished in the lead pack of 15 riders to compete the 40-kilometer course in 1 hour, 5 minutes and 48 seconds. Thurlow Rogers (Newbury Park) finished third in the Class 4 (age 45-49) men’s road race. Rogers, who won the men’s 45-49 road race and time trial national championship titles last month, completed the 116-kilometer course in 2 hours, 35 minutes and 39 seconds; five seconds behind race winner Malcolm Elliott of  Great Britain. The next top-American finish of the day came from Rogers’ Sonance-Specialized teammate Steve Strickler (Corona del Mar) who finished 16th in the age 45-49 category, 107-rider field.

Free Ladies Only Days at the LA Velodrome!
8/26/06 - In conjunction with the So Cal area chapter of The Women's Cycling Challenge, and Sarah Hammer's AWTCF all of the Local Ladies are invited to attend our new free monthly Ladies Only Track Training sessions at the ADT/Home Depot Velodrome in Carson, CA. These sessions are designed exclusively for USCF licensed lady racers in the So Cal area. Leave your boyfriends, husbands & SO's at home! It will be Ladies Only at the LA Velodrome on the 2nd Saturday of the month Oct 2006 - Jan 2007 from 12:00-2:00pm. more >

Jake Gyllenhaal to Play Lance Armstrong
8/25/06 - From the Daily Blabber - Lance Armstrong and Jake Gyllenhaal have been spending a lot of time together this summer. Mostly, they've been riding bikes, but Jake even turned out at the Lance-hosted ESPY Awards to support his pal... and be the butt of some of his jokes. There was even a blind item about the fellas in Page Six hinting that there was a little something-something going on. There is something going on... but it has nothing to do with a gay love affair. Jake is going to play Lance in an upcoming biopic about the cyclist. more >

The Broadband Racer
8/24/06 - Remember back in the day, when you'd have to wait a month to get the latest issue of Velo News or Winning to see the latest cycling coverage or photos? Now thanks to the internet and DSL we can watch video coverage the day of the event. How cool is that? The Broadband Racer has some well produced video from events, including some old school Tour coverage, and video blogs with SoCal home boys Tony Cruz and Rahsaan Bahati. I love technology!

Elite National Criterium Championships - By Dan Vinson
8/22/06 - The 2006 Elite National Criterium Championships, held August 20, were hosted yet again by Downers Grove, Illinois - a suburb of Chicago, about half an hour west of O'hare where most riders flew in for the event. The course, one mile in length, was the infamous "figure 8". The course started on a gradual incline, turned right, and then left to a small sprinter hill. Then, we made a couple more lefts and descended to a fast right hander (half lap to go) and an even faster left hander. Next, we had a semi-tight left turn which took you to the final left emptying you out onto the tough 150 meter uphill drag to the finish. Elite riders would do 50 laps/50 miles (80 kilometers), stating at 11:30 a.m. The sun was out and it was a great day for racing. more >

Tony Cruz Takes 3rd Place in the USPRO Criterium Championships,
Kayle LeoGrande Wins the Elite Criterium Championships
8/21/06 - Australian Hilton Clarke (Navigators Insurance) won the USPRO Criterium Championships in Downers Grove, IL, with Brad Huff (TIAA-CREF) winning the Stars 'n Stripes jersey, as the first American. Former USPRO Criterium Champ, Tony Cruz (Toyota-United), was looking to reclaim the title and jersey, but had to settle for 3rd after some bar bangin' with Huff. Local rider and tattoo artist, Kayle LeoGrande (Kahala LaGrange), won the Elite Criterium Championships. Could a Stars 'n Stripes tattoo be on the horizon? In the women's race, local girl Anna Webb (Karl Strauss/SDBC) finished 6th, avoiding the collision between race favorites Laura Van Gilder (TEAm Lipton) and Tina Pic (Colavita), which ultimately sent Pic flying to the ground. Former speed skater, Theresa Cliff-Ryan, took the sprint for the title.

Landis' Father-in-Law Dies
8/16/06 - Cyclist David Witt, the 57-year-old father-in-law of Floyd Landis was found dead in San Diego on Tuesday. Our condolences go out to Floyd, Amber and their families. more >

North Park Classic Date Changed to September 10
8/15/06 - From the Promoter -Due to unforeseen circumstances (city departments miscommunicating) the North Park Classic had to be moved to the 10th of September. As a consequence, Junior races had to be removed from the schedule because they would conflict with State TT Championships. We apologize for the inconvenience but it was our best solution in order to keep the race on the calendar. If you have pre-registered you will be contacted about a refund. More Info >

Wheels Taken from Wheel Pits that Aren't Yours = Bad Karma
8/15/06 - It has been brought to our attention that people have been taking wheels from the wheel pits at the MBGP and UPS Crit. We hope that everyone has enough mutual respect for your fellow racer's property to not take what isn't yours. Hopefully, it is an honest mistake and you just needed to borrow a wheel, because you forgot to put one in the pit and forgot to return it. At MBGP, a pair of black Ksyriums with a 10 speed cassette and black Maxxis tires were taken from the pit. We can put you in touch with the owner, or we can see that he gets his wheels back with no questions asked. Avoid bad karma and please contact us! To those of you putting wheels in the pit, please be careful and aware that this is going on. Wheel monitors provided by the events would be a nice touch!

Haedo and Wangsgard Win the 45th Manhattan Beach Grand Prix
8/14/06 - The 45th Annual Manhattan Beach Grand Prix offered riders, spectators and families a fun day at the beach. All categories were treated to a better than average prize list and a cool course to race on that offered a party atmosphere with an expo area and announcing by tag team duo Ralph Elliott and Dave Towle. The kids race was a big hit, exposing the sport to the next generation. The racing was hot throughout the day with a few crashes, futile break away attempts and the always predictable field sprint. In the Pro/1 race, JJ Haedo (Toyota-United) took the field sprint over Health Net teammates Greg Henderson and Kyle Gritters. In the women's race, Nicky Wangsgard (CPT-Colnago) outsprinted Shelly Olds (Proman/Paradigm) and Taitt Sato (McGuire). We need more events like the MBGP to come back to SoCal!

Tour of Utah Stages 5 and 6 - By Dan Vinson
8/14/06 - Stage 5 - Twin Lab Circuit Race (37 miles): "Every Climb is the Last Climb". This stage was relatively short compared to the others, but it surely wasn't easier. We did six laps of a 6.2 mile (10 kilometer) technical course with a steep monster climb in the middle of each lap. The climb started gradual, but then we made a left turn and it kicked up to about 8%. more >

Motor Tabs Product Review
8/12/06 - Motor Tabs is a new Fluid Replacement System that just came out on the market this summer that is revolutionizing fluid replacement. I had heard a lot about Motor Tabs as it was being developed, so was looking forward to trying it and seeing what it was all about. Motor Tabs comes in three tasty flavors including; orange, fruit punch and lemon-lime. I thought they all were excellent. Motor Tabs is different from other sports drinks, since it is packaged in individual servings in air/water tight foil packages and is an effervescent electrolyte / energy tablet. If you have ever had a cold and used Alka Seltzer Cold Medicine (Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz), it is the same concept where you add the energy tablet to water and let it dissolve for 4 minutes before drinking. more >

Tour of Utah Stages 1 through 4 - By Dan Vinson
8/11/06 - The second annual Tour of Utah, August 7 - 12, 2006, consisted of six challenging stages held throughout the rugged landscape in and surrounding Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah. Nearly 100 riders from 16 different strong teams including Navigators, Toyota United, Health Net, TIAA-CREF, Symmetrics, Kodakgallery/Sierra Nevada, Successfulliving.com, Priority Health, and a composite pro team "KJZZ" would vie for a piece of the $45,000+ prize purse. Additionally, a few top amateur underdog teams would take on the big boys in one of the most challenging races in the country. more >

Friends that Play Together, Stay Together!
8/11/06 - Make sure to turn up your speakers for the full effect! View >

The Manhattan Beach Grand Prix Expects a Great Turn Out
8/9/06 - It seems like the riders are getting psyched for the MBGP this weekend. This race always attracts a large field, tons of spectators and offers an awesome venue that is just blocks from the beach. I always wanted to win this race, but somehow it eluded me. I managed to get 3rd, 4th and several top 10’s, but never the win. In the late 90’s OLN and ESPN would film the women’s race, which made for a fast aggressive race, as we tried to get some air time for our sponsors. I usually was without teammates since they lived in other parts of the country, but in ‘98 I was lucky to have my Ralphs/Klein teammates Marie Holjer (Swedish Olympian) and Maureen Vergara (El Salvador Olympian) join me in the party. Our sponsor Ralphs, set up a big hospitality tent and had the VIPs come watch, so we really wanted to win. I picked up some early primes and we were all active in some breaks, but typical of this race it came down to a field sprint. Maureen and I gave Marie a nice lead out, but came up short again with second. We really wanted that nice big winners check!!!

Jen McRae (Shaklee) snagged the cash from Marie Holjer (Ralphs/Klein)
and Suzanne Sonye (Helens) in the '98 MBGP. Photo © SoCalCycling.com

Landis on Jay Leno Tonight
8/8/06 - Floyd will be on NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno this evening. Check out NBC.com for details.

"Six Day" Style Track Racing Comes to Los Angeles August 19th & 20th
8/7/06 - Encino Velodrome and the ADT Event Center will be the respective sites of the first annual Los Angeles Two Day Madison Invitational and Open Omniums August 19th and 20th. Participation in the Madison Invitational, sponsored by Velo-Fit, LLC and John Turpin/H&H Custom Homes is by invitation only. There will be an A-Madison (10 teams) and a B-Madison (7 teams). Teams accepting invitations must pre-register for both days. Weekend entry is $100 per team. There will be daily prizes plus minimum $500 cash prize list for overall standings after Day-2. To request an invitation, send an email to eddie at velo-fit.com with proposed rider names, license numbers, club/teams, track category and description of Madison experience. Experienced Madison riders without a Madison partner also welcome to submit a request. We'll try to hook you up. more >

Rocks as Big as the Rockies
Sometimes laughter is the best medicine!

Floyd Landis 'B' Test is Positive
8/5/06 - Tour de France champion Floyd Landis' backup urine sample confirmed high levels of testosterone, cycling's governing body said Saturday, raising the prospect that he could lose his title. Following the results of the "B" sample, Landis was expected to be fired by his Swiss team, Phonak, which had suspended him pending the results. He also faces a two-year ban from USA Cycling, which is responsible for sanctions against the American rider. more >

Floyd Landis Responds to Positive 'B' Test
8/5/06 - Landis, who has not used performance-enhancing substances, maintains his innocence in this case and believes that he will be vindicated of the doping charges. “I have never taken any banned substance, including testosterone. I was the strongest man in the Tour de France, and that is why I am the champion,” said Landis. “I will fight these charges with the same determination and intensity that I bring to my training and racing. It is now my goal to clear my name and restore what I worked so hard to achieve.” more >

Keep the Faith - By Floyd Landis
8/4/06 - In the past week, I have gone from the “Top of the World” to the depths of scandal. I have been thrust into the international spotlight and am being asked to defend myself against something that I did not do, for reasons that I do not understand. Although this has been a hard time for my family and me, we are confident that I will be vindicated. I am innocent of any wrongdoing and want to take an opportunity to clear up some misconceptions that exist regarding the situation. more >

North Park Classic – September 10th
8/4/06 - A month from now racers will be able to experience one of the (if not the) hardest courses of this year's racing calendar. Team 5 Star Fish has resurrected the once famous course and is now inviting everyone to experience it. With 2 short, but very steep climbs, technical turns, headwind into the “easy” false flat, a lot of money on the line and lots of primes, this will become again a classic. Join us in the slugfest. More Info >

San Diego Entrepreneur Offers Landis $100,000 to Take Polygraph Test
8/4/06 - San Diego computer entrepreneur Michael Robertson on Thursday offered Tour de France winner Floyd Landis $100,000 to "clear the air" and take a polygraph examination while addressing charges that he doped on his way to victory in the Tour. Robertson, on Friday, said he had not received a response from either the team or Landis himself. More on VeloNews >

Field Announced for 2006 Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah
8/2/06 - An impressive field of sixteen of the nations top cycling teams will bring nearly 100 riders to compete in next week’s Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. The cyclists, who will cover more than 500 miles of some of the state’s most challenging and scenic terrain, represent 15 states, the District of Columbia and four countries. The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah is presented by Zions Bank in partnership with the Utah Sports Commission. Riders from the following teams will be competing for the Tour’s $45,000 purse: Navigators Insurance, Toyota United, Health Net by MAXXIS, TIAA CREF, Kodakgallery.com/Sierra Nevada Pro Cycling, Symmetrics Cycling, Priority Health, Team Successful Living Pro Cycling, Team Einstein’s Cycling, Team End (Utah All Stars), Sienna Development-Goble Knee Clinic, California Giant Strawberries, Vitamin Cottage, BMS Racing, Broadmark and the KJZZ composite team. more >

Mountain Biking is Good for the Soul
8/1/06 - The Rim Nordic Series # 2 just took place this past weekend in Running Springs. If you are trying to "hang on" for one more month of road racing and are having trouble getting out on the bike to train, I highly recommend busting out the mountain bike. It is a great way to recharge the batteries, stay fit and have fun. If you are feeling spunky, why not try your hand at some upcoming mountain bike races.