Mountain Biking: Clipless Pedals

When you start out using clipless pedals on your mountain bike, chances are that you won't know much about what makes for a good pedal and a bad one. You'll get what you can afford at the time and  you'll probably suffer for your lack of knowledge, finding yourself on the ground and bruised or bloody far more often than you need to be, and having too much difficulty "clipping in" to your pedals as you start off.

Some of that you can overcome just by using your pedals and becoming familiar with them. But some of your problems are design issues.

So I'm writing the pros to find out what they like (not what their sponsors like) and I'll add their answers within this post as they come in. The newest will appear at the top.

-- Rebecca Rusch, World 24 Hour Champion, picks Crank Brothers Egg Beater 4 ti pedals.. I'm posting her entire response as is.

Bikezilla: If a sponsor isn't supplying or paying for a specific brand and model, which pedal do you prefer on your mountain bikes?

Rebecca Rusch: "Crank Brothers Egg Beater 4ti"

Bikezilla: What makes it a great pedal?

Rebecca Rusch: "Ease of clip in/out but with a secure feeling when you're in. Simple design that doesn't break.

Less little moving parts mean a more durable pedal and less opportunity for mud to collect in small spaces and prevent clipping in.

Lastly, I like a floating design so that your foot and knee are not completely locked into one position. This float allows for less stress on the knee and the pedal will accommodate your own body alignment and pedaling style."


Bikezilla: Is there a close second?

Rebecca Rusch: "Time pedals."

Bikezilla: What pedals did you use starting out?

Rebecca Rusch: "Shimano"

Bikezilla: Why did you switch?

Rebecca Rusch: "Because they would always fill up with mud and dirt and were hard to clip into. I was also intimidated by all the tiny parts."

Bikezilla: What pedals do you think give the best value if value is defined as cost vs reliability and ease of use?

Rebecca Rusch: "Crank Brothers Candy or Eggbeater. Same great design and each pedal comes in six different price points based on the materials used. So you can get an $80 Egg beater or Candy design in steel, or go all the way up to the titanium. Either way, same great function, same great design.

I think the SL versions of both pedals are a great performance pedal at a really reasonable price."

Thanks Rebecca!


-- Joe Lawwill of Bikeskills.com picks Shimano M970's, but likes the Shimano 770's, too. He says:

"I have a very clear opinion about what brand of clipless pedals to use. I only use Shimano M970's, but the M770 works just as well.

Over the years I experienced the learning curve manufacturers went through to get to where we are today. I have been caught in my pedals numerous times and my confidence was adversly effected.

It took some time, but once I gained trust in my current pedals I don't give them a second thought. If you are using these pedals and have hang ups then you just gotta remind yourself heel out, heel out. As long as you do that you will come right out of your pedal.

You of course need to set proper release pressure for your body weight. Coming out too easily is almost as bad as getting stuck.

You also need to make sure you have a good shoe that doesnt hang up on the pedals. I also make sure to only run shoes with rubber bottoms rather than that very hard and slippery material many shoe companies insist on using."

Thanks Joe!

Stuff Beginners Should Know (But Almost Never Do): Part . . . Who Knows

Two days after I begin working out after a break from exercising, my muscles hurt like a biatch (which is to say, considerably less than the pain caused by any discussion with my ex wife).

For me, a good rub-down (sadly it's usually self-administered) and a similar but much lighter workout the day immediately after the first workout, cuts way down or even completely prevents the pain.

Or I can avoid it all together by "prepping" my muscles with a few similar but lighter workouts in advance.

If I'm too daft to do any of that, a deep rub-down in the painful areas usually clears it up by the next day. Yes it does hurt like hell.

That delayed, post workout pain actually has a name (Delayed onset muscle soreness) and Recovox has an article up about it, what causes it and how possible ways to treat it.

Here are Coach Levi's thoughts on it.

For those of you moving from a bike trainer to bike rollers, Coach Levi has some advice on setting up. He'll help you avoid the embarassing and painful newbie mistake of riding off the front roller.

Mountain Biking: Clipless Pedals

Do you have an opinion on the best and / or worst clipless pedals for Mountain Biking?

Tell us about it in the comments section. The best replies will be included in an upcoming related post.

LoA

A couple people wrote to ask why I haven't rode or written.

Work. We've been short two (of a normal 6) guys, increasing my time spent working and my stress. I've felt worn thin.

As soon as things ease up I'll get back to riding and writing.

Thank you for stopping by and for checking in.

Know What You're Selling

Or

"Trek Sucks: Part Whateva"

I recently spent a little time browsing Craig's List for prosti . . ., er, cheap Mountain Bikes and came across a Trek 7300 and a Trek 7600 with sketchy descriptions.

I asked for more details regarding wheel sizes, derailleur, shifter and crankset info.

To my dismay, the owners were not up on their bikes' components.

This is more than a simple inconvenience, it likely means less cash and a smaller buyer pool for the sellers.

Here's why.

Over the years Trek has steadily downgraded the groupos on all it's trail and mountain bikes.

Models old enough to have come originally with solid forks also had much lighter frames than the newer and current models.

For instance, a friend owns an approximately 10 year old 7100. It came with a full Shimano Deore LX groupo and weighs so little that I swoon from lust when I pick it up.

To compare, the current Trek 6500, an $1,150.00 bike, comes with Shimano Deore, a grade below the LX.

You have to spend $2,200 on the the Trek 8000 if you want the Deore LX.

Ok, those two bikes are true Mountain Bikes. The 7100 is a "hybrid". It looks like a Mountain Bike, but usually has a lighter (weaker) frame and larger diameter wheels (700c / 28" vs 26").

For apples to apples, the newest Trek 7100, at $440, comes with a partial SRAM X3. SRAM's X7 is the Shimano Deore LX counterpart, so you're sitting two levels of quality and reliability below what this bike came with 10 years ago -- though that's actually an improvement over other recent model years, which came with Alivio, Acera and Altus components.

For that reason it's worth knowing exactly what you're selling. Because while you may have an older model, you may also have better (though also older and therefor heavier) derailleurs, shifters, crankset and cassette / freewheel than newer and current models, AND you're frame is possibly much lighter and better than the same bike if you bought it brand new today.

Those facts may up the value somewhat, and they could very well expand your pool of interested buyers.

Climbing

Climbing addict? Head over to PEZ to read Climbing for Dummies.

A little while ago I said, "There's something about climbing that no other aspect of riding can match."

But if you mention your love of climbing to a non-cyclist, the conversation might go something like this.


Friend: "What's climbing?"

You: "Riding up hill."

Friend: "That's it? You just ride up a hill? Wow, sounds exciting."

Anyway . . .

Maybe climbing is one of those things that if you don't do it, you don't "get" it.

But if you do . . .

"There is the hill itself, which is the enemy. Cursing the hill, challenging the hill, defeating the hill, letting it KNOW I’ve won, sitting atop it in love with my victory, that’s the beauty of climbing. Defeating the pain is a bonus."

The hill is both savage and unmoving. That may seem like a contradiction. But, if you ride it, you can feel it roiling beneath you as it tries to break you down, you can hear it laughing at you during your moments of doubt, hear it mock your burning, fatiguing muscles.

You can also sense it shrinking away as you approach its summit and the nearness of your victory provides a surge of adrenaline and excitement as your RPMS and your speed both increase, though only moments before you felt dangerously close to giving up. You can feel the hill release its breath and sigh in defeat as you top the final rise.

And when you've finished and you're bent over your bike, weak and panting, your legs and chest aching as your heart pounds against your ribs, while sweat is running down you like a waterfall, you love the hill for no more reason than that it is there and you love yourself for not allowing it to break you.

Then you pedal on, remembering, knowing that you'll be back and that the hill will be there, waiting for you, willful and unbroken.

Gary Fisher Bikes

Several people have asked me what I think of Gary Fisher bicycles.

I've seen a few up close and personal. I've checked out a few online.

To me they seem identical to Trek (which actually owns Gary Fisher, er, I mean Gary Fisher bikes).

What that means to you, the buyer, is that you'll probably be happy to very happy with the frame, and there your happiness may end.

The bikes I've seen have cheap, low end garbage for forks, derailleurs and wheels.

For instance, the ARC Super road bike. For $1300+ you get Tiagra shifters and front derailleur. There's absolutely no reason NOT to get a full 105 groupo at this price point. It's cheapness and greed, and YOU, the customer are getting screwed for the privilege of having Gary Fisher's name on your bike.

Or take the Advance Stepthru Mountain bike.

For $590 you get mind-numbingly craptacular assortment of Acera, Altus and Alivio bunched into a make-shift "groupo" that I can promise you will be unhappy with the moment you attempt anything more than riding on a nice flat surface at walking speeds and minimal acceleration. And God forbid you should let a dusting of trail grit accumulate on this ultra-low-end garbage.

The wheels on this thing may last like stone, but they weigh as much as stone, too. The Bontrager Connection Trail tires grip like a demon, but are also ridiculously heavy.

If you stick to rail trail and road riding, nothing heavy or demanding, you'll get maybe two solid years out of the forks, and replacing them will cost you nearly as much as the whole bike.

I've used the parts on this bike, and I won't spend my own money on any of them ever again.

This particular bike is actually something less than you'll find in a Trek at the same price point, so to my view (remembering that I loathe Trek), you should run, not walk, away from any bike shop that carries it.

You're going to pay a premium price for, in my opinion, a big name and a substandard bike. There are much better values out there. It's worth the investment of time and effort to find them.

This is not intended as a review -- detailed or otherwise. You, my precious loyal readers, asked me for an opinion and I'm giving it.

Do your own research, ask people who've riden not only these bikes, but also the parts on these bikes, and make your own choice.

If you have your heart set on a Gary Fisher bike, there's nothing wrong with that. But you should go into it understanding what kind of quality and value you're getting for your money.

On an unrelated note I was also ask if men really divide women into three categories. The answer is "Yes".

1. No.

2. Only if noone will find out.

3. Yes.

It may seem that there are more positive and negative groupings, but the rest is all really just degrees of emphasis.

Always happy to help.

Lance Armstrong vs Alberto Contador: Does Lance Think You're Stupid?

Links to Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, CyL, Disingenuous, Lance Cries in His DrinkS, The Real Lance, Does Lance Think You're Stupid?

Lance just can't stop being the slinking weasel. It just comes too naturally to him.

He Tweets:

"Gotta love the Spanish press. I understand their enthusiasm but does it really have to change reality?? C'mon, fellas. We aren't stupid."

Why is Lance so spiteful and petty? Where is his intergrity? Does he even understand what the word "honesty" means anymore?

What have the evil Spanish journos done? They've interviewed Alberto and his brother to get real, behind the scenes, firsthand accounts of the low class bull#$@% Lance was pulling on Alberto Contador, with Johan Bruyneel's blessing (because, let's be honest, none of that crap could go on without a wink and a nod from Johan), EVERY DAY.

Lance, a seven time has-been, takes the team's head mechanic all for himself. Alberto gets whoever speaks Spanish.

Lance gets a luxury suite all to himself, Alberto gets a roommate.

Lance arranges for Alberto's transportation to the time trial to have other errands, so that Alberto is forced to find alternate, last second transportation on his own.

Lance tells his guests to take Alberto's place on the team bus. Alberto bites his tongue and shows Lance who the real alpha dog is one the bike.

Lance steals a water bottle as it is being passed to Alberto, offered by fellow Spaniard, Ian Gutierrez of Caisse d’Epargne. You can see that as it happens, clearly, in the photo within the article linked above.

That's not an alteration of reality, that's Lance Armstrong at his everyday, backstabbing, conniving best. He missed no opportunity to attempt to humiliate and psychologically beat down Alberto Contador. And he, Armstrong, was shown repeatedly to be the weaker man (on and off the bike).

Lance is a master of manipulation, both in word and in deed. It isn't the Spanish press playing you for an idiot, it's Lance. He can't defend his actions, as described by Alberto and his brother, so he tries a little emotion-laden slight of hand. "C'mon, fellas. We aren't stupid." But, really, he hopes you are. He believes you are.

Cycle Away the Fat. Or Not.

While my fitness has improved considerably since I began this season's riding and training, I have one great frustration; those last few pounds of fat, ALL of them right at my stomach, look pretty much EXACTLY as they did before last December coming off of four months of doing zip which followed a weak riding season.

I'm burning 12,000 calories per month, at a minimum, more than I did back then. But those pounds at my stomach have pretty much told me "piss off, bucko, we ain't goin' nowheres".

Coach Levi explains why.

And Recovox offers a possible solution.

Stuff Beginners Should Know (But Almost Never Do)

Power in the Drops (the lower part of a "ten speed" style handlebar), and What Exactly is Cycling Strength?

My thanks to Coach Levi for again taking time to answer cycling related questions.


-- Bikezilla:

After Stage 20 at the TdF I saw some pictures of George Hincapie sleeping in the team bus. After wondering why he seemed to be wearing Depends, "My first thought was, my God, he's got sickly old man legs".

Now if we stood up beside each other and a casual observer looked only at our legs, they might say, "Oh yeah, Tom would kill George in a race", yet the fact is that regardless of the bike or the course, George would slaughter me and not even breathe hard or break a sweat while doing it.

To me it seems that there is something very different about the muscle development of cyclists. In layman's terms, how is cycling related strength acquired and what IS cycling "strength" (because it doesn't appear to be at all comparable to what most people would expect).

Coach Levi:

I do know George Hincapie has arguably the most infamous legs in the pro peloton. Put his legs in a lineup and anyone could pick his out! Anyway...

The first thing to know is that muscle size and strength don't seem to have a direct relationship. Even when talking about purely anaerobic activities such as powerlifting, a skinny guy doing strength training might squat more weight than a bigger dude who focuses on hypertrophy training. I'd sum it all up with one word: specificity.

(I'd also throw in the word genetics, because some people have naturally large legs while others have chicken legs. Another reason you can't determine strength based just by size.)

Moving to cycling, things are even more complicated because cycling is more of an aerobic sport. Leg strength is a small part of the equation. Your heart and lungs and other metabolic processes (none of which are visible to the naked eye) play a greater role in your performance than your leg muscles, so a huge leg strength advantage yields only a small cycling advantage.

-- Bikezilla:

Today while riding my new bike (switching from an Mountain bike to a Cyclocross bike) I finally spent significant time in the drops. To my surprise there was an instant gain of 1 -3 miles per hour, yet with no additional application of effort.

Is that just in my head? Or is there a real difference in power delivered to the pedals while in the drops vs riding upright and using the crossbar.

If it's a real difference, could you explain how that comes about?

Coach Levi:

For the question of riding in the drops, I'd throw out the word power and focus on aerodynamics. With a typical road bike position, you should deliver about the same amount of power whether on the bar top/hoods or in the drops. (And if you are applying no additional effort, that's a good sign that your power output is remaining constant.)

What changes is aerodynamics. It's entirely possible to see a speed gain when getting down in the drops. Not seeing a speed gain would surprise me! In most cases, switching to the drops provides a significant decrease in frontal area, making for a decrease in drag. Since you're fighting less air resistance, your speed will increase for a given power output.

Typically you might go from 17 to 18mph, or from 27 to 30mph, since aerodynamics play a bigger factor at higher speeds. (If you were riding at a paltry 5mph but hit 8mph just by going to the drops, that would probably be all in your head.)

You would need to use a power meter and repeat the test in similar conditions to make sure you are indeed putting out the same amount of power in both positions, but yes, you can get a good, real speed boost going to the drops.

Bikezilla:

I'd thought that maybe being in the drops was just a more efficient position, so that while I'm putting the same effort into pedaling, more power was actually available.

Coach Levi:

It's possible to be in a better position for power generation, but you really need a power meter to be sure. It's a case-by-case scenario and why pros spend so much time and money calculating the perfect bike fit.

It's a good thought and a good question, but in most cases you would produce slightly less power the more aerodynamic your position (but go faster thanks to a bigger gain in aerodynamics to offset any other losses.)

Enjoy the speed of drop handlebars,

-Levi

Lance Armstrong vs Alberto Contador: The Real Lance Armstrong

Links to Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, CyL, Disingenuous, Lance Cries in His DrinkS, The Real Lance, Does Lance Think You're Stupid?

When cameras were rolling and Astana's Lance Armstrong thought there was a chance that the viewing public might catch a glimpse of his childish and baseless vendetta against teammate Alberto Contador, he ridiculed and sniped, but in an almost subdued way.

When reporters and cameras were away, however, the real Lance came out and things became brutal and openly ugly for Alberto.

Here's the translation:

It happened on Thursday, a few hours before the Annecy ITT.

Contador came downstairs to the entrance of the Palace of Menthon, the luxurious Astana hotel. The Tour was on.

He looked right, then left. Nobody, nothing. No Astana cars or helpers. Cold sweat.

Quick time check. Where are they?

The hotel is several kilometers from the start. There he was, the leader of the Tour, in flip-flops, bag in hand and alone.

He went to the hall looking for an answer: Armstrong had ordered the helpers to go pick up his wife, kids and friends to the airport.

Contador left his room last because he was the last one starting the ITT. Armstrong had managed to take away his means of transportation.

The straw that broke the camel’s back. Hot flashes, he was rabid.

He called his brother Fran. He came to pick him up by car and took him to Annecy in a private vehicle.

He left last and finished first. His best victory. In the ITT. In solitude. The same way he has won his second tour.

Contador’s toughest climb was not recorded in images. It was narrated by others.

It was fought in the hotel and the bus: during one stage, Armstrong sat his guests at the very back of the bus, right in Contador’s usual seat.

One more provocation. Armstrong to the luxury suite. Contador to sleep with Paulinho, the only ally. Same deal during the entire tour.

Mouth shut, listening to Armstrong’s jabs: “It doesn’t take a Nobel prize to figure out what happens with side winds”.

Contador didn’t reply in the hotel. He did on the road. He attacked in the first mountain finish in Arcalis. Without permission from Bruyneel, Armstrong’s DS.

That night the Astana hotel was a funeral. Red eyes from the Texan (anger? crying? not sure).

The first cyclist that stood up to him. And he did it in silence."

Not in the article – apparently LA did not attend the team dinner in Paris to celebrate Contadors victory.

Taken from the comments at Race Junkie

This is the real Lance; abusive, malicious, self-centered, egomaniacal, martyr. He'll do anything to humiliate and crush anyone failing to bow before him, taking malicious glee from what harm he may cause.

Alberto is not only the better climber and stage racer, he's the better man.

Shimano Flight Deck Bike Computer

My new CX bike, and the roadie I hope to buy over the winter, are both set up for Shimano's Flight Deck bike computer.

Since I'm not happy with my Cateye's, and Schwinn (my fav bike computers because they're inexpensive and extremely reliable) doesn't make one with the features I want, I'm thinking of switching to the Flight Deck system.

So I'd love to know what my readers think of the Flight Deck bike computers.

Are you happy you spent the money on it? Do you wish you bought something else? What?

What are Flight Deck's strengths and weaknesses?

Lance Armstrong vs Alberto Contador: Lance Cries in His DrinkS

Links to Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, CyL, Disingenuous, Lance Cries in His DrinkS, The Real Lance, Does Lance Think You're Stupid?

UPDATE*

Team Astana threw a party for Tour de France (TdF) winner Alberto Contador. Much to noone's surprise, His Majesty Seven Time Tour de France Winner Lance Armstrong refused to attend.

What did Lance do, instead?

He got sauced. He went to dinner with some guys from Radio$hack and "had a few more glasses of wine than normal".

Since then Alberto has come clean on the pressure he was under within the team and the stresses his rivalry with Lance put on other teammates and staff. As with so much that surrounds Lance, when things don't go his way, dysfunction follows.

*Here's the literal translation of Alberto's news conference. Less sensational, very even-handed. Go ALBERTO!

Is it at all surprising to learn that while Alberto recognizes Lance as "a great champion" that on a personal level he has no respect at all for His Majesty?

Lance, having been shown to be too weak to back up his indignant demands to be the undisputed team leader, now shows that he's also too weak to walk away from his third place finish, as well as Alberto's domination of him, like a man.

Now he spends his time sniveling on Twitter, taking cheap shots at Alberto, proving to everyone that he's more a pouting bitch than a king.

When the going gets tough, the tough . . . get lost in the bottle.

Do you have one ball, Lance? Or none at all?

Tour de France: Thoughts

-- Team Astana's Lance Armstrong first intended to win the Tour de France (TdF) outright. After his teammate, Alberto Contador, ho slapped that goal out of his silly head, Armstrong instead insisted that if Alberto took 1st, that he, Lance, would be 2nd. With that as a measuring stick I'd like very much to say, I told ya so!

On the other hand, me being Mr Fairness and all, I would like to believe that seeing Lance take 3rd, in addition to submitting to over 40 surprise doping tests and coming up clean every time, and finally, after taking 3 plus years off and training for only 1 year, proves that he was most likely clean during his run of 7 consecutive TdF wins.

-- Columbia HTC's Mark Cavendish may very well be the fastest man on two wheels, and the best sprinter in the peloton (maybe in the history of the peloton). But his Comlumbia team is the absolute best at positioning and protecting him. They define "team effort", at least when it comes to the spectacle of the sprint. As support for a GC hopeful, not so much.

-- After all my disparaging remarks about French riders going into the Tour, it was cool to eat a little crow as I watched them have a pretty impressive showing this year.

-- Alberto Contador still has a year remaining on his contract with Astana. If he can't get out of it I'll be very surprised if he can repeat at next year's Tour. What kind of talent, including leadership talent, will Astana be able to attract when every manager, coach and rider already understands that they'll be strapped with no-talent Kazsuck teammates and that said Kazsuck teammates will have a mandatory place in all the most important races?

Alberto's 2010 season may not be any less stress-inducing than his 2009 season.

-- I'm no linguist (obviously, I can barely speak and spell in English), and I'm not saying these pronunciations are right or wrong, but it seriously made me laugh when I heard "maillot jaune" pronounced "Malaysian" and "Liquigas" pronounced "leaky gas".

Tour de France: Stage 20

How weak is Lance, really? Is he as far behind the curve as he appears? Or has he been saving it up for Ventoux?

Lance IS physically behind where he's ever been before. He IS weaker than he's ever been as a legitimate TdF contender. He couldn't win it by giving his all in the time trial (TT) or in the mountains . . . until now?

Alberto has pushed pretty hard and he's not known for being a strong third week rider. On Ventoux, "the hardest mountain in France" is 5:21 (to Contador) insurmountable if Lance has been playing possum and Alberto has over-spent himself?

Alberto has said that he'll "help" Lance stay on the podium. Of course, "helping" Lance helps Alberto stick with Lance and maintain the time gap, while costing Alberto nothing extraordinary.

Do you think Alberto will be gungho about helping Lance if either Schleck tries to break away from the peloton and the top general classification (GC) guys?

How many fans will spend the next few weeks waiting for doping reports to trickle into the media to see if the GC will stand?

Tour de France: Hmmmmm

Just thoughts.

-- Danilo Di Luca (LPR) was briefly my hero, as he fought like a demon vs Denis Menchov (Rabobank) to take 2nd overall at the Giro d'Italia. Now we find out he was doping. Bastage.

Menchov found the news so validating that he decided to "ride" the Tour sans bike and actually body-surfed the course during Stage 17.

I told you, the man has the most amazing gift for wiping out seemingly for no reason at all (aside from maybe trying to show Tom Boonen how to sniff the white line).

Does anyone else now wonder about the state of Menchov's blood during the Giro? Please Denis, don't be a scumbag doper.

-- I still find it interesting and amusing that Thor Hushovd, who was victimized by child cyclist Mark Cavendish (Columbia HTC) in a sprint prior to Cav's relegation, was himself relegated during the '06 Tour for irregular sprinting (a sprint won by Head-Butt McEwen).

-- Looks like Astana's Alberto Contador finally got tired of being #$%-raped by Johan Bruyneel and Lance Armstrong, so took matters into his own hands, burying Lance and giving Johan a hearty "FU!".

Now, to hope that Race Junkie and the real media weenies are wrong and Alberto's new found @#%-kicking TT skills are simply the result of good living, hard training and a burning desire to dominate the Peloton.

-- RadioShack schmadioshack. YAWWWWWWWWN. Let me tell you something about RadioShack, Lance. RadioShack sucks.

Uh oh, RadioShack on the highway.

Tour de France: Relegation

Read TdF Blog's Twitter for some info on Hushovd and his own relegation in '06, and it's ties to . . . Head-Butt McEwen.

March of Dimes: Be a Hero Day

Sister is gonna be on the Today Show on July 22nd between 7 - 9 A.M. EDT, promoting March of Dimes: Be a Hero Day.

That biatch has good furtune just falling out of her hinter parts.

And she wonders why no one likes her.

Tour de France: Stage 15

Just notes today.

Boonen quit with tummy pains? More likely he finally realized what a waste of oxygen he's been AND he's a sprinter with very little opportunity to sprint from here on out. It's so great that Boonen forced his way into the race. He really contributed.

Jens Voigt pounded it for 1.5km and looked wiped out when he swerved off the lead, setting up Andy Schleck and Saxo Bank's first serious attempt at a move.

Seeing Alberto Contador accelerate on a climb is amazing. Andy Schleck was being pushed as the only rider on Alberto's tail, but he was flagging almost from the start after his best attempt to match acceleration with Alberto.

Schleck's acceleration was actually pretty sweet, maybe even a match for Alberto's. But Andy couldn't maintain it and Alberto can.

Lance Armstrong is kidding himself if he thinks he can match or even follow that.

Cadel Evans can pound it out forever, but his acceleration is for crap.

Alberto taking this like it's a time trial (TT).

And VS video goes out with Alberto less then 3k from the finish. F#$%

Found alternate video just as Alberto crossed the line and fired an imaginary BB into the camera. Dig that out of your thighs, biatches.

Is it just me or did His Majesty the King look utterly exhausted as he finished. Interesting. Alberto looked almost fresh.

Alberto is to climbers what Mark Cavendish is to sprinters, and maybe a little more.

Now Alberto believes that "things will be normal" and the team will work for him. I'm not sure his trust in Johan Bruyneel and Lance Armstrong is well placed.

Tour de France: Stage 14

NOTE: The "Red Jersey" is a complete Bikezilla fabrication, explained in the post for Stage 1.


Finally something happened of real general interest.

Should we call this "The Judas Stage"?

George Hincapie (Columbie HTC) didn't seem at all angry over his five second failure to gain the Yellow (leader's) Jersey. He didn't even seem to have much of an issue with Garmin Slipstream, which was the real instigator of the failure. What he seemed was hurt, and while he said "Astana" it was clear that he meant "Lance Armstrong and Johan Bruyneel".

My impression of Hincapie has always been that he is a good man, a loyal teammate, a more loyal friend, a passionate and selfless rider. So I can see how having his friends, Lance and Johan, fail to support him in his quest for only the second Yellow Jersey of his waning career (he's 36 and a lifetime domestique), probably his last opportunity to ever where the Yellow, would cut him very deeply.

I don't doubt that George and Lance have had on-bike conversations about support for Lance as he fights his Astana teammate Alberto Contador for the overall general classification (GC) lead. With Columbia having no serious ability to win the GC I'm sure George has been, as a good friend would, agreeable to lending his efforts to Lance's quest for THE Yellow.

That surely adds to the pain that George is so clearly feeling and I wonder where George will be if Lance indeed does require his support in the coming days.

Then there's George's teammate, Mark Cavendish. Mark, who I believe really is the top sprinter not only of the current era, but of any era, let Mr Hyde out again as he crowded Thor Hushovd nearly into the barriers, because Thor was about to beat him in a sprint.

That's really a no class move and something I've come to expect from Cavendish. It's so interesting to watch his two sides, the one both charming and self-assured, the other entirely self-centered, classless and immature.

All I needed to know in order to believe that Cav rode dirty was that Robbie "Head-Butt" McEwen thought that Cav got a bad break with the judges> The overhead video for damn sure confirms that there was malice in Cav's failure to hold his line.

Cav deserved to be "relegated" (he wasn't disqualified as some have mis-stated).

Here's today's podioum, taken from Cycling News

1 Serguei Ivanov (Rus) Team Katusha 4:37:46
2 Nicolas Roche (Irl) AG2R La Mondiale 0:00:16
3 Hayden Roulston (NZl) Cervelo TestTeam

Here's the top 20 GC, also taken from Cycling News.

1 Rinaldo Nocentini (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale 58:13:52
2 George Hincapie (USA) Team Columbia - HTC 0:00:05
3 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana 0:00:06
4 Lance Armstrong (USA) Astana 0:00:08
5 Christophe Le Mevel (Fra) Française des Jeux 0:00:43
6 Bradley Wiggins (GBr) Garmin - Slipstream 0:00:46
7 Andreas Klöden (Ger) Astana 0:00:54
8 Tony Martin (Ger) Team Columbia - HTC 0:01:00
9 Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin - Slipstream 0:01:24
10 Andy Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 0:01:49
11 Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas 0:01:54
12 Luis León Sánchez Gil (Spa) Caisse d'Epargne 0:02:16
13 Maxime Monfort (Bel) Team Columbia - HTC 0:02:21
14 Fränk Schleck (Lux) Team Saxo Bank 0:02:25
15 Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas 0:02:40
16 Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) AG2R La Mondiale 0:02:45
17 Carlos Sastre Candil (Spa) Cervelo TestTeam 0:02:52
18 Mikel Astarloza Chaurreau (Spa) Euskaltel - Euskadi 0:03:02
19 Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence - Lotto 0:03:07
20 Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia - HTC 0:03:16

And today's winner of the Red (last place) Jersey is:

164 Kenny Robert van Hummel (Ned) Skil-Shimano 2:16:33. Again. But still up on the 26 riders are no longer in the race.