Pro Cycling 2012- Checking in before our favorite race

I have to admit I was not happy last year with the announced changes to the Ronde route for this year.  No Muur and Bosberg, what?  That said, I HATED the finish of last year's Ronde.  Yes, Nuyens raced smart...blah blah blah, but truthfully, he stole the Ronde from a much stronger Fabian Cancallera. From the preview pics of this year's Ronde course, NO ONE will be stealing this one!  As for picking who will win, that is tough.

I have been watching races, watching videos, looking at pics and even checked in with some family members for advice.

 Fergie is going with Boonen, but thinks Pozzato might surprise everyone! She is impressed with Pozzato's quick healing ability and strong rides in the last few races.

Chili is confident the Fabian is not only the strongest, but is the most motivated to win this race. Vincent thought deeply on it, and he thinks Chavenel will win in a Devolder like move.

Forrest is all about the dark horses... he thinks Sagan or even Devolder gets away to win the race as the main favorites watch each other.

Some good advice from the family for sure.  My gut tells me Fabian will win the Ronde and Boonen will be on the podium, but not win.  I think Sagan will be on the podium at the Ronde as well.














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Here is a sample of our Spring Classics collection. 

Hoping for a great Ronde this Sunday!

Hoping for a Ronde like this! NOT the race we saw last year!!!

Hope you enjoyed the clips, check out all our NEW T's including: Belgian The F*ck Up, Monsieur Paris Roubaix, and Cipo for President 

Belgian Badasses Tee

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We believe the driekleur (Belgian National Champ jersey) is the best looking and most prestigious jersey worn in the peloton. From Leon Houa in 1894 to Roger De Vlaeminck in 1969 to Philippe Gilbert, the names of all of the champions come together to form this flag on this design. Add in the Lion of Flanders and this tee screams Belgian Badass!

$1 from every tee purchase will be donated to Steven Cozza’s Race for Kids. 

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It's the Ronde Damn it!

Out of respect to the Flemish people and the race, we will refer to the Ronde Van Vlaanderen as well...the Ronde and not the Tour of Flanders. We would not want them to call the Super Bowl something like Buuwel Van Suvvpper (just guessing since I was unable to locate an English to Flemish translator.  They have online English to Luxembourgish or Hmong but not Flemish).

So obviously, Fabian, "Swiss Machine", is the favorite, but we are wondering if you think anyone of these people/things can derail him.

1. Boonen:  Looks like the knee is solid, no police incidents, no blow and he just won Gent Wevelgem. He also has the strong team card to play, like he has in previous years with Chavanel.  We're pretty sure Boonen and his Quick Step team are pulling for the radio ban, since they have Capt. D-bag Lefevere in their ears.  If he doesn't get caught taking a drink again, etc..do you think he can hang onto Fabian when he attacks?

2. Mechanical/problem (flat, broken chain, crash)?  Fabian puts out crazy power - add in cobbles and 20% gradients, it is a lot of stress on his ride.  If he snaps another chain, flats at the wrong time or ends up on the ground (he might break the cobbles not the other way around) no one will be waiting.   I know Conta is not in the race, but you know what I mean - This is a 1 day race

3. Philipe Gilbert:  He is a Belgian (a Walloon, but still) and he wants to win this race for King and Country and all of that.  We have no question he will put in an attack and if things play out, he might be able to make it.

4. Matthew Goss: Want a dark horse? Matthew Goss is Belgian at heart, and he is a flat out fast!  Not sure if you have noticed but he is showing the world he is a force to be reckoned with!  He is not scared of weather or climbs as he proved in Paris Nice, and he can out sprint Fabian if he has the chance.

* Our heart forces us to include Stijn Devolder - who know if he has the form to win, but we had to include him.  He will don the finest threads in the peloton, and that Belgian Champions kit will give him wings like 4 Red Bulls, a double purple nurple and slap on the ass!


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Pro Cycling 2011- What were watching part duex

We know it's still early on in the season, but we figured we would give our take on the racing so far and a few predictions.


Off the front-

HTC High Road: They just win races!  Tony Martin and Matthew Goss have both racked up some nice wins so far in 2011. Tejay van Garderen is showing again that he is a VERY talented rider.  He is continuing to grow and develop and we can see a Grand Tour podium in his future.

Rabobank:  Some might have questioned letting a multiple Grand Tour winner go, but Rabobank didn't blink.  They have Robert Gesink as their GC contender and even Eddie Merckx tips him as a possible Tour winner. The early season form of Theo Bos and Lars Boom make it appear that they made some very good investments.

Spain: Gotta give it to 'em they know how to keep their "star" racers racing.  Conta gets the all clear from his home country and has already made the podium in one of his first races. What happens with the CAS time will tell, but he can now always claim he was cleared in his home country.

Jens Voigt and those in favor of race radio:  Jens mentioned an incident from a U23 race last year as an example of why Race Radio is needed in his "Open Letter" ( featured on CycleSport's website) .  Then this week as if on cue, an ambulance headed the wrong way toward the field in a race. Here is the excerpt from Jens Voigt's "Open Letter":


"Last year in an U23 race in France a spectator ignored all regulations and entered the parcours in the opposite direction of the race. What normally happens is this: the race director puts that news on ‘radio course’, the official communication channel between the race organizer, the UCI and the sports directors. Immediately, all sports directors spread the message amongst their riders over the radio to prevent a potential fatal accident. Now, in that French race there were no radios, which is the case in all U23 races. Try to put yourself into the position of any sports director, that knows there is a car riding towards the bunch. He’s not allowed to drive to his riders and warn them. All he can do is sit and wait. And maybe think about what he can tell the parents of one of his riders if he got hit by the car. Because this is what happened: the car hit a young Dutch rider, who was in a coma for three weeks. Everybody present in that race agreed that the accident could have been prevented if the riders had been wearing radios" 


If nothing else, the riders should get a broadcast from the race officials so they can be made aware of dangers ahead.  They should also allow team cars a 2 way radio to race officials, so they can communicate any issues they see like a rider that has crashed and is off the road in a ditch, off a cliff, etc.

Andy Schleck: As we have stated before, he really needs Conta to race the Tour to become a champion. If he snags his 1st Tour win without Pistolero in the race, it just won't be the same.  So far, it looks like he will get to line up with Contador in July.

Radioshack: Lance retired,  right after the Tour Down Under, but Shack has been getting it done without their biggest name. The Robbie's have been mixing it up in sprint finishes and proving they still have some left in the tank.  Markel Irizar won Ruta del Sol and Jesse Sergent won West Flanders, so the future looks bright for the Shack.

Cadel Evans:  Looks like he is trying the Lance approach from 99-05, trying to minimize his racing days prior to the Tour.  We actually like this move quite a bit, as it shows Cadel is not riding for 2nd place.  He is going all in for the TDF and is showing that he is not happy with a podium finish.  Defending champ Alberto Contador will do the opposite and try to race (and win) all 3 Grand Tours this season. Time will tell if Cadel is making a smart move, but we like it!

Steven Cozza: He has a fresh start with Team NetApp and is off to a solid start on the bike.  He won the Sprint and the Combined competition at Mallorca Challenge. We can't wait to see Steven on the cobbles at Roubaix! The other reason we have Steven on this list, is his work off the bike with his Race for Kids fan club.  He has a new coloring book with profits directed to help children's charities and the 2011 version of his  "Never Give up" tee that we make.  If you haven't read much about Steven or his mission check out http://www.stevencozza.com/ .




Off the back-

The Cobra's cycling career is dead, but we hope he gets help and lives a healthier life off the bike!

Ricardo "The Cobra" Ricco: The WTF moment so far of 2011! We just wished we had called one this "far out" in our blog "Dopers do suck, but they have great excuses" . Honestly, the thing that comes to mind when I think of Ricco is, when did this start?  I keep wondering if they should shift anti-doping so they are testing Juniors and U23 heavier than they do Pros. Much like AA baseball players that are trying "make it", many young cyclists are willing to take the risk of doping to get their shot.

Cav: had a rough start to the year; he found himself on the ground several times.  The shoot out Down Under with Greipel didn't actually happen.  Cav showed up a bit heavy, and his teammate Matt Goss was the bigger star during that race. The Manx missle has added Roubaix to his race calendar, and we have to say we are bit concerned about Cav on the cobbles. We fear his new grill might be in jeopardy if he ends up wheels up on the Carrefour de l'Arbre section.

LEOPARD TREK: Um...yeah, it's early, but no real headline wins for the most anticipated/hyped team in a decade. They look stylin', and are mixing it up in races, but they don't have any results to speak of.   I wonder if the O on their kits stands for 0 as in results. We have to give it to them ...SHARP kit and nice scarves!  They will win either Flanders or Roubaix and all will be right.

Taylor Phinney: It's been a rough beginning for Taylor with knee issues and a few crashes.  Still a long season ahead, but so far his young gun friends are off to a better start. No doubt he can and will pull off a result this year, he just needs some better luck.

Garmin Cervelo:  Their own riders Tweet jokes about taking Team SKY's musettes at feed zones.  They need to go to a white base instead of black or add orange back in.  They make a race finish very hard to watch.   We can't imagine how it feels to be looking to see if your rider is on your wheel only to find a SKY rider.  On their own, the kit looks great; add them in with SKY and LEOPARD and it's a mess.

PREDICTIONS:


Paris Nice: We will go with Sagan or Tejay van Garderen for the win, but don't count out Jurgen Van Den Broek

The Ronde: Top 3 in any order Fabian, Devolder, and Gilbert

Paris Roubaix: Top 3 in any order Fabian, Hushovd and Boonen


Check out STEVEN COZZA's "NEVER GIVE UP!" tee and the rest of our tees at http://www.hbstache.com/

1 day riders > GC riders

Super Model Stephanie Clerckx (when asked what she thought of the "make up" after Chain Gate)

After reading yet another Andy Schleck interview where he talks about being disappointed yet content. I had a realization about my own views on Pro Cyling. Over the last 11 years I  have changed quite a bit..on the road and off the road.  The Grand Tours is what hooked me, and the main thing I used to watch.  Then I quickly discovered the Classics and watched those as well.  I was a huge fan of several GC riders and pulled for certain guys in the Classics.

Fast forward to 2010 and I am ALL IN as a fan of 1 day riders like Stijn, Fabian and Boonen.  The GC guy's are not what I remember with Armstrong vs Ullrich with Pantani thrown in there.  Those guys had real deal battles and some deep feuds.  The current GC riders ]are not close to legendary hard men like Merckx or Hinault. There is no "Patron" these days and Tour 2010 showed us that.  Perhaps Cippo is right and the GC guys are now on the "soft" side.  Here is a part from his recent interview with Cyclingnews.com: 

“Seeing Schleck and Contador embrace on the Tourmalet after crossing the line and then seeing Contador affectionately pinch Schleck’s cheek during his interview was unreal for me,” Cipollini exclaimed. “Logically, Schleck should have been raging; he had just lost the Tour after all."

“After the chain slip incident on the Port de Balès, he should have attacked the Spaniard day after day, in front of the microphones and on the air too, without giving him time to piss!”

Hard to argue after seeing Andy go from a "Stomach full of anger" to "We are still good friends" in 24hrs. Conta gave him the you just won a stage and are now my bitch gift at the top of the Tourmalet.   I had been waiting and waiting and hoping to see the next great Tour shoot out but instead I got the bromance ending.  Cippo also dropped the mangina line on us with this one:

“I read an interview with Umberto Veronesi, a scientist, a reputed oncologist and Minister for Health,” Cipollini continued. “In five hundred years or more, human beings might have both sets of genitalia, male and female. I don’t want this evolution to have started already in cycling…”

Compare that to guys that train in crappy weather, crash on cobbles and attack each other every chance they get.  The current generation of Classic guys are as hard as the guys that came before them.  Sparticus is a hard core cat that will rip your legs off.  Boonen will go all out on the cobbles and go toe to toe with Cav in a sprint.  Stijn's back to back wins at the Ronde are two of my favorite races of the decade.  I recently saw this quote from Devolder about staying in Belgium while teammates go to warmer places to train. “It is not so cold that you freeze on to your bike. You go from a temperature of zero (Celsius) to minus one and you’re not dead; It hardens your character.”

Hoping for a great year of Pro-cycling in 2011, but I will be paying a bit more attention in April than in July this year.  I will be paying more attention to the guys training right now on the bergs and cobbles or sweating it out on rollers.  I will be a little less attentive to these guys in July.

How to make your ride hotter than Tom Bonnen's Lambo!

I have to admit many dollars were misspent in my youth on cars.  It was my 2nd passion and I had a blast (almost died a few times, but still had a blast). I might have even dropped lines like the horrible quote from Dom in Fast and Furious "I live my life a quarter mile at a time".  I made a clean break from that part of my life and have been driving very normal "tame" cars for 11 years.  I now spend all my "extra" money on bikes and I get healthier while doing it.

Do I ever miss turning heads at a stop light?  Do I miss the looks of envy in a parking lot...on occasion.  Now I have that back, and for only $3! 

What did I do to my 07 base model Subura Imprezza to make it hotter than Tom Boonen's Lambo with a 17 year old hottie in the passenger seat?  How did I make my car 312% sexier? 

I dropped on a few of these stickers from the guys at Ritte Van Vlaanderen and instantly my car could wear this license plate (probably won't but, it could!)  I have to keep the doors locked at all times to keep the young ladies from piling in.  What will happen when I add my Bosberg to the roof rack?  I'll let you know when it arrives in early 2011!

Want to make anything sexier and much more Belgian? Here is the place http://www.ritteracing.com/

Are you Belgian at heart?

It’s getting to be the time of year, when temps drop and liquid falls the sky.  Do you have an Inner Belgian? When the weather moves in do you smirk as you know there will be very few cyclists out today?  When you call your riding buddies on a bad weather day and they say they “don’t feel good” or will be riding the trainer, do you tell them they are acting like a Spaniard? (All due respect to Juan Antonio Flecha* - more thoughts on him below).  Or do you ask them if they need help booking their trip to Majorca?

Here is a list to let you know if your inner Lion of Flanders is beginning to roar:

1.       You will head out in a driving rain storm or don’t turn back as weather rolls in.

2.       The trainer is for times when you want to ride at night or snow is getting so deep you can’t ride a road bike in it.

3.       You think about other cyclists not riding and feel the only reasonable excuse is a Kidney Stone, a broken C-bone or a Cross Race.

4.       You begin to envision the mid-ride hill as the Koppenberg  and your final climb as the Bosberg

5.       You gain the skill to be able to take the lane as needed from motorists.  For Example:  Your riding in a bike lane/shoulder when you notice a large volume of broken glass or the body of a wookie blocking your path.  As you look over at the person driving the SUV drinking a latte they see your face covered in grime and the water droplets falling from the bill of your cap.  They yield the lane to you, they are in awe you riding in the weather.  They are still a bit chilly in the car with the heat on wearing a hoodie and their fur lined Crocs.  They also respect and realize that if they did not give it to you, you might bridge up and chase them to Arby’s.

6.       You can name more Belgian cyclists than Merckx, Boonen and Develoder.

7.       You notice and respect the “Belgian” in riders not at the front of the race, but are still racing even though their work is done.

8.       You have to think deep on whether you fanaticize about winning the Ronde instead of the Tour during interval sessions.

9.       You order Embrocation for the 1^st time

10.   You show up to a group ride and you are the only one there.

If you have not tested yourself in the elements, we recommend giving it a go and seeing if you have a bit Belgian in you.

* Juan Antonio Flecha, aka "The Spanish Flandarian" - is the exception to the normal "soft" Spanish cyclist.  We have heard rumor that Eddie Merckx's 1st cousin Thomas Merckx spent a good amount of time in Spain during 1977 and had a thing for Latin Ladies.  We're not sayin'...we're just sayin'.