This Joe guy has a lot to learn. But remember he is a neo pro. Give him a year he might get wise, and start using tubulars for training.

Boom was on my mind too, but having ridden that finale, I can't see him powering away from a group, it's really steep and he's a big-ish dude. Maybe if he can go solo, but that's more of a Fabian move.

What ever way it crumbles, it'll be a good un!

Cool ASO 100th TdF video. Interesting that there was not a single shot of LA, Landis, Ulrich or Pantani, at least not that I could spot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ku_t6qpVoHU#at=115

Exactly and no one remembers who won the race, but will remember that Fabian kicked ass again. Who won Milan - San Remo last year again?

Any way, Strade Biance is quite luke warm race for me. Nothing happens before the last 5 km, but for some reason mamil seem to like this race. Maybe I need to wait for another 10-15 years before I "get it".

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Pssh, Gerrans won like a boss. It was a very important/exciting victory for GREENEDGE. I guarantee all the aussies here remember it well.

Dissing Strade Bianche. What sacrilege!

Maybe if you go to Tuscany, ride those roads and eat well like you can there you'll get it within a week, OJ.

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Bianchi-Campagnolo

Strade Bianche is quite a classic, I'd say even more so than MSR due to the terrain they ride over. Similarly most of the other classics in the Spring are known for the types of roads they are challenged with... which would be 'classic' in the harkening back to the ol'days when there were not many paved roads, when there were no clinchers, when men would wear their tubes around their shoulders, they had only two gears, there were no electronic gismos, they didn't care about watts or power-meters, they had to kill a goat just to make a pad in their shorts, take steroids and hop on trains... oh... wait.... yeah, anyway, it's a classic.

2013 SB prediction-o-matic: a "dark horse" winner.

But this goes without saying: Tyler Farrar will not win.

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Exp001

Hehe, MAMIL insults. Strada Bianchi is probably the only thing pro cycling has done right in regards to new races in the last 10 years.

I don't really get that excited about the World Ports Classic.

Edit- and why not harness the power of the MAMIL to create world tour events. L'Ardechoise another great example of an event that started as an amateur one and is growing to pro http://inrng.com/2012/06/the-spin-dauphine-stage-2/

Seems like a much better business model than the crap being thrown around by the UCI or breakaway leagues doing boring arse formulaic week long stage races.

Radioshack team truck hit by thieves last night in Belgium.

"Bad news from our team in Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen: overnight 8 bikes, a bunch of wheels and a tool box got stolen from the truck. We're doing all we can now to get the guys on spare Trek bikes at the start of stage 2!"

That's the second team this season and it's only March 2nd. Maybe it's time to install alarms on team trucks and hire security for the parking lots?

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TED ESSENFELD
Schoorl, Noord-Holland, Nederland
Bike Pics
English Custom Steel Internal di2
Litespeed Ghisallo

Dave Zabriskie and Tom Danielson bans ended yesterday (March 1st)
Vandevelde bans will end on March 4th

they are back with Garmin

Alex Rasmussen ban will end in 2 weeks, he is in talks with Garmin and Movistar (I hope Garmin)

thanks to Tourdejose twitter

And Leipheimer? Is he too old to get a new contract?

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TED ESSENFELD
Schoorl, Noord-Holland, Nederland
Bike Pics
English Custom Steel Internal di2
Litespeed Ghisallo

http://www.bdc-forum.it/scatti-della-nuova-cannondale/

Prototype Cannondale bike being used by Sabatini and Koren in Strade Bianche.

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Slam your stem.

interesting seat tube

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"Smart may have the answers, but stupid have all the interesting questions."

Unfortunately it's a side-effect of the growth of the cycling industry and people willing to pay top (currency unit) for equipment.

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Exp001

Beautiful scenery, awesome roads etc. for sure, race itself....blaaaah. Is for sure better than the breakaway league ideas and UCI "lets make cycling global even when there's no demand at all".

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