Active Expert: Bruce Hildenbrand

Buy a Slice of History

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Oct 15, 2009

In the 100 year history of the Giro d'Italia only one American has ever stood on the top step of the podium. In 1988, Andy Hampsten became the first, and only, US rider to win the pink jersey or 'maglia rosa.' Not only did Hampsten create cycling history as the first American winner, but he took the leader's jersey in a snowstorm on the Gavia Pass on a stage that has become legendary.

That stage on the Gavia Pass is known as 'the day strong men cried' because the brutal conditions forced many of the best professional riders in the world to crack and seek shelter from the storm in their team cars. That wouldn't seem to be a bad thing, but the race was still in progress. Snow fell heavily on the ascent of the 8500' pass, but it was the raging blizzard on the descent that separated the men from the boys.

Andy Hampsten didn't win the stage that day. He finished seven seconds behind Erik Bruekink. But, he won two other stages and held off Breukink on the final day's time trial stage held in pouring rain. It was that kind of grand tour and Hampsten's was a well-deserved win.

You can read more about that epic day on the Gavia Pass and Andy's historic Giro win at: http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6610,s-3-9-17127-1,00.html

Now, you can own a slice of history by purchasing a newly designed poster featuring a photo of Andy climbing the Gavia Pass in the snow. Next time you are on the fence about going out for a ride in less-than-ideal conditions you can look at Andy's face and hair caked with snow and realize that the weather outside isn't too bad.

Check out www.cinghiale.com for details on ordering.

Bruce

286 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: bruce_hildenbrand, andy_hampsten, gavia_pass, giro_d, 'italia, passo_gavia

Levi's Gran Fondo

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Oct 14, 2009

In early October, Levi Leipheimer hosted a Gran Fondo in his adopted home town of Santa Rosa, California. For those of you wondering what a gran fondo is, it's an Italian phrase which roughly translates to "big ride." Gran fondos are all the rage in Italy with as many as 10,000 cyclists showing up for the most popular events. It's a big deal in Europe and it's about time that these events migrated west across the great pond.

This past March, the Gran Fondo San Diego(www.granfondosandiego.com) was the first gran fondo to be held on American soil. Since then, gran fondo fever has hit the states with the Levi Leipheimer event being the next in line and a whole bunch of events scheduled for 2010. If you haven't experienced a gran fondo, you will have plenty of opportunities to do so next year.

Levi's event(www.levisgranfondo.com) featured a picolo(25-mile), medio(63-mile) and gran(103-mile) fondo routes with the 103-mile course following one of his favorite training rides. King's Ridge is one of the most beautiful roads in Northern California; it was hard to find a cyclist complaining about the challenging climbing and stunning views. Both the 'gran' and 'medio' fondos finished with the short, but steep, ascent of Coleman Valley Road, which was featured in several editions of the Tour of California.

Undoubtedly, the most heartening aspect of the Levi Leipheimer Gran Fondo was the outpouring of support from the community of Santa Rosa. It seemed like half the city came out to either volunteer for support or cheer on the riders. Levi has definitely made an impact on this community. His three wins at the Tour of California and his efforts to bring that race to Santa Rosa have endeared him to the public and the gran fondo offered Levi's fans an opportunity to show their appreciation.

Whether you go to San Diego, Santa Rosa or parts east, if you haven't ridden a gran fondo it's definitely worth checking out.

Bruce

437 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: bruce_hildenbrand, levi_leipheimer, tour_of_california, gran_fondo_san_diego, levi_leipheimer_gran_fondo, gran_fondo

The 24 Hours of Moab

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Oct 11, 2009

There are a lot of 24 hour mountain bike races on the US calendar, but the 24 Hours of Moab is something special. For one, it's Moab. Other than maybe Marin County, California, there is no other location on this planet that is more synonymous with mountain biking than Moab. The Slickrock Trail, and the slickrock in general, is known world-wide and attracts off-road cyclists from around the globe to ride its rough surface up almost impossible steeps and down improbable drops.

Another factor is the quality of riders who participate. As the organizers like to say, the best mountain bike race in Colorado is located in Utah which is the quick way of saying that a large proportion of teams come from the Colorado Front Range and also the Rocky Mountains. But, that isn't to say that other states aren't well represented as well. At the 2009 edition racers came from Utah, Arizona, Colorado, California, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico, Kansas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Texas, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvannia, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, Virginia, New York, etc, etc, Not to mention Denmark, Norway, Germany. Well, you get the idea.

With such an world renown location the race atttracts a quality field, just about every top North American professional rider has made an appearance in Moab. The 2009 edition was no exception with six time 24 Hour Solo World Champion Chris Eatough, four time 24 Hour Solo World Champion Rebecca Rush and three time 24 Hour Solo National Champion Pua Sawicki just a few of the stars in attendance.

In the men's solo event, Chris Eatough was the heavy pre-race favorite, but a bout of the flu caused him to pull out before the start. That left the door wide open for 2008 Moab winner Josh Tostado to repeat his victory from last year and also pull on the stars and stripes jersey for his first ever National Championship.

Pua Sawicki built a huge lead in the women's solo race, but a mysterious stomach problem forced her to retire in the wee hours of the morning. First-time 24 hour racer Ezster Horanyi, from Boulder, Colorado, took the win and the stars and stripes jersey as well.

While much of the focus of the race is on the solo competitors, over 380 teams in about 20 categories participated. Over 1200 total athletes tackled the slickrock and sand which define the Behind-the-Rocks course. It was a great event for all the participants and their support crews. Yes, the 24 Hours of Moab really is special.

Bruce

287 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: bruce_hildenbrand, 24_hour_mountain_bike_race, 24_hours_of_moab, chris_eatough, pua_sawicki, josh_tostado, ezster_horanyi, rebecca_rush

The Player to be Named Later

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Oct 8, 2009

While bike racing and baseball are both sports, besides that they have very little in common. You rarely see a pro cyclist scratching himself in public and when the rain comes pouring down in a bike race, they don't pull a tarp over the roadway and let the competitors head to the clubhouse to get warm and dry. But, if the stars align and some interesting developments actually develop, bike racing may soon resemble baseball.

Well, to be honest, it is only a momentary resemblance, but if things work out it might just be one of the most interesting happenings in pro cycling since some washed up, has been from Texas announced his return to cycling last summer (hint: Bret Favre lives in Louisiana and his cycling prowess is questionable).

The lineup of dominoes starts with Team Astana. The beleaguered Kazakhastan squad is hoping to get its Pro Tour license renewed for 2010. With the best stage race rider in the world, Alberto Contador, on the team the renewal may seem like a slam dunk. However, Lance Armstrong and Astana Team Director Johan Bruyneel left the team in 2009 and the squad is now being run by Alexandre Vinokourov.

You might remember 'Vino' from his 'exit stage right' performance at the 2007 Tour de France when he tested positive for blood doping. He served a two year suspension and is now back in the sport. But, as we have seen with other cyclists who were caught up in the web of doping, the sport of cycling sometimes finds it hard to forgive certain cyclists. Vino appears to be one such rider.

There is a rumour that because of Vino Astana will not get a Pro Tour license in 2010 setting up a very interesting baseball-like chain of events.

The first event in the chain is that when Astana does not get a Pro Tour license, Alberto Contador will be able to break his contract and become a free agent.
The second event is that the new British professional squad, Team Sky, has been salivating over Garmin-Slipstream rider Bradley Wiggins. Not only did Wiggins turn a bunch of heads in finishing fourth at the 2009 Tour de France, but he's British (nothing he can do about that) and that's a very advantageous combination for Team Sky.

The third part of this scenario is that Wiggins has a buy out clause in his contract reportedly valued at $7-8 million US dollars. The last part of this whole chain of events is that Jonathan Vaughters, the head honcho at Garmin-Slipstream, wants Alberto Contador on his team in a very bad way (well, who wouldn't).

So here's how things could work out. Astana doesn't get a Pro Tour license and Alberto Contador breaks his contract. Jonathan Vaughters sells Bradley Wiggins to Team Sky to raise the money necessary to hire Alberto Contador. The only thing missing from this scenario is the 'player to be named later.'

Will this whole secenario play out? Who knows? Both Contador and Wiggins are exceptional riders and wherever they end up, they will continue to excite us all with their exploits. But, it is fun to play a little 'what if?'

Bruce

274 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: bruce_hildenbrand, alberto_contador, lance_armstrong, johan_bruyneel, team_astana, brett_favre, garmin_slipstream, bradley_wiggins, team_sky, alexandre_vinokourov, uci_pro_tour

Saving a Life

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Oct 6, 2009

I had the opportunity to save a person's life last week. It's kind a a bittersweet situation. On one hand, you hope that people don't need to be saved, but on the other hand, it feels pretty good to save a life. I was out riding my bike coming out of the Santa Cruz Mountains into the town of Palo Alto. When eastbound Sand Hill Road crosses Highway 280, the single lane turns into two lanes. That might sound like a good thing for cyclists, but in this instance, it's not.

The problem is that the new lane comes in from the right as it is the off ramp from Highway 280, one of the major freeways serving the San Francisco Bay Area. So, cyclists heading eastbound on Sand Hill Road suddenly find themselves in the left lane when the off ramp turns into the right lane. I don't know about you, but I don't want to be stuck in the left lane of a road that has a 50mph speed limit. When the right lane begins, I want to move over to the right side of the road to stay out of the way of traffic.

Unfortunately, if a car is coming off the off ramp of Highway 280 as I am trying to move into the right hand lane we have a conflict. The powers that be who created this situation anticipated this potential conflict so they put a "yield" sign for the cars coming off the off ramp. Unfortunately, most cars are traveling at 50+mph coming off the freeway don't see the sign and hence, there always seems to be a bit of confusion when the a car and a bicycle try to occupy the right hand lane at the same time.

Which brings me to what happened last week. I was heading eastbound on Sand Hill Road and it being rush hour, I was hyper-sensitive to any potential bicycle-car conflict as I approached the aforementioned off ramp/new lane. Unfortunately, the cyclist I was catching up to in front of me seemed to be in a daze. I looked to the right to see an SUV barreling off the off ramp at 50+mph seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was supposed to yield to any traffic coming into his lane.

The inattentive cyclist was slowly moving over into the right lane directly into the path of the SUV driver. A split second before the cyclist became road food I yelled at the top of my lungs 'Dude, watch out for the car.' The cyclist snapped out of his fog, looked over and straightened his right-trending trajectory just enough to allow the SUV to slide past. A fatal collision was narrowly averted.

The SUV driver slowed and I caught up to him. He told me he thought he didn't have to worry about the cyclist because he thought we had our own bike lane (there is no bike lane). I caught up to the cyclist and he thanked me for waking him up.

The moral to this story is that we cyclists may have rights, but we may also be dead right. It is important that we cyclists are always attentive to what is happening on the road and we use our situational awareness to realize when there are dangerous situations developing. Yes, the SUV driver would have been at fault if the collision had occurred, but the cyclist should have realized the dangerous nature of that particular situation and have been more attentive.

Please be careful out there.

Bruce

977 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: bruce_hildenbrand, save_a_life

2010 Tour of California Route: Fact Trumps Speculation

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Oct 5, 2009

I posted my best guesses on the proposed route for the 2010 Amgen Tour of California, but speculation is just that speculation. I had the opportunity to speak with one of the organizers and he was kind enough to fill me in. BTW, the official announcement of the route is scheduled for October 22.

The first stage of the race will be a point-to-point course starting in Nevada City in the Sierra Foothills and finishing in downtown Sacramento. Stage 2 will start in Davis and travel to Levi Leipheimer's hometown of Santa Rosa. The course will be lengthened from last year's route to include a spin by Bodega Bay which also means that the steep Coleman Valley climb may also be on the program.

Stage 3 is San Francisco to Santa Cruz which is similar to last year's stage, but it will probably not cross over the Golden Gate Bridge.

Stage 4 is San Jose to Modesto, most likely along the same route as was used in 2009 when Thor Hushovd claimed Cervelo Test Team's first ever win.

The details of Stage 5 are a bit sketchy, though it will finish in Bakersfield. Race organizers would like to put the actual finish line at Bakersfield College which sits on top of a bluff and would allow for several challenging finishing circuits once the race reaches town.

Stage 6 appears to be the mountain-top finish at Big Bear Lake. Stage 7 will be a flat, 30-mile individual time trial in the Los Angeles Area.

The final stage, Stage 8, will be very difficult. It starts with a descent from the Woodland Hills area down Encinal Road then a climb back up Decker Canyon Road. After that, multiple circuits of a local loop which includes the Rock Store Hill, a very steep climb that ascends 1000 feet in 2 miles, will be ridden before finally finishing in Thousand Oaks, the hometown of the race's primary sponsor, Amgen.

Previously, I reported that Yosemite Valley was on the agenda. Unfortunately, the Park Superintendent decided not to allow the race to come into Yosemite, because the event offers prize money and there is a rule prohibiting races of such type in the park.

Bruce

1,530 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: bruce_hildenbrand, levi_leipheimer, tour_of_california, amgen, 2010_amgen_tour_of_california

Route of 2010 Amgen Tour of California Revealed?!

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Oct 1, 2009

Details of the route for the 2010 Amgen Tour of California(ATOC) are leaking out bit by bit though the official announcement is scheduled for sometime next week (October 6?). As was announced earlier this year, the race will move from February to May with the 16th to the 23rd being the proposed dates.

It appears that the race will start in Sacramento, but unlike last year when the stage was a very short prologue, the course will most likely be a road race up into the Sierra foothills that begins and ends near the Capitol.

The next stage is rumoured to include Levi Leipheimer's home town of Santa Rosa.Given that Santa Rosa is over 100 miles from Sacramento, the stage will most likely finish in Levi's hood, a potential start city could again be Davis, the new home of the US Bicycling Hall of Fame.

It is not clear if the race will visit the San Francisco Bay Area, but what seems to be clear is that Yosemite Valley will be on the agenda. One proposed route could be from Merced to the Yosemite on Hiway 140 and then a return on Hiway 41 to a finish in Fresno or Clovis, where there was a stage finish last year.

The 2010 race route was supposed to be announced just before Interbike last week, however, last minute logistical hassles, mostly like dealing with the race entering Yosemite National Park, caused a postponement until next week.

The town of Bakersfield will host either a stage start or more likely a stage finish as the Rabobank Arena, owned by the race's third most important sponsor behind Amgen and Herbalife, is located there.

Another stage finish is scheduled for downtown LA at the Staples Center which is owned by AEG the owner the Amgen Tour of California and is the home of the LA Lakers.

The first ever mountain top finish for the Tour of California is penciled in for the village of Big Bear Lake in the San Bernadino Mountains. Sitting at 6000' above sea level, any route up to this ski resort town will include a major climb.

The usually decisive time trial stage will follow the finish in Big Bear Lake and is slated to be a 29-mile test in Venice, just west of LA, on the Pacific Coast.

The race is not scheduled to visit the San Diego area in 2010; the final stage will most likely end in Thousand Oaks the hometown of the race's primary sponsor Amgen.

So, there you have it. Mix speculation with rumour, add just a hint of fact and you have the route of the 2010 Amgen Tour of California. Well, maybe!?!?

Bruce

874 Views 2 Comments Permalink Tags: bruce_hildenbrand, levi_leipheimer, amgen_tour_of_california, rabobank, amgen, herbalife, 2010_amgen_tour_of_california

The Curse of the Rainbow Jersey

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Sep 30, 2009

So Cadel Evans is now the World Road Champion. Cadel and the Australian team rode a great tactical race with Evans only putting his nose into the wind in the final few miles. Previously, I wrote that I hoped that Cadel's most important win would take the pressure off and allow him to be more positive with journalists and fans. Well, one thing I forgot to mention is a little thing my friend Lindsay reminded me about which is the curse of the rainbow jersey.

Winning the World Road Championships carries with it the privilege of wearing a rainbow jersey for the next year. The jersey calls you out as the reigning World Champion. For every rider incapable of winning the Tour de France, winning the World Road Championships is the greatest achievement of their career (OK, maybe Paris-Roubaix is up there,too). Unfortunately, there seems to be a bit of history to support the fact that for many winners of the World Road Championships, their winning ways stop when they pull on the rainbow jersey.

That's why they call it the curse of the rainbow jersey. You win the biggest race of your career then spend the next twelve months trying to explain to journalists and the public that you are still a deserving champion even though you haven't won anything since the year before.

Which brings us to the Cadel dilemma. While I was hoping that this win would turn Cadel's whining ways into winning ways, given the curse, it appears that next year may prove to be a, well, um, uh, bit of a down year. Clearly, the curse may not affect Cadel, but if it does, how will it affect Cadel? We can all get frustrated when things don't go our way. Hopefully, Cadel can defeat the curse and all will be smiles in 2010.

Bruce

318 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: tour_de_france, bruce_hildenbrand, cadel_evans, world_road_championships

An Australian World Champion

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Sep 27, 2009

Cadel Evans salvaged an up-and-down season with an historic win at the 2009 World Championships road race and he did it was a cheeky solo attack on the race's final climb with only 3 miles(5km) remaining. In August, Evans admitted that he expected to be fired by his Silence-Lotto team after finishing a massively disappointing 30th place in the Tour de France. After two successive second place finishes only the top step of the podium would have satisfied the rider, his team and fans, but it was not to be.

Then came the Vuelta a Espana where Evans was clearly one of the strongest, if not the strongest, rider in the race. However, an untimely wheel change on the stage to the mountain top finish at Sierra Nevada put paid to his chances for an overall victory. He publicly stated that his final finish in third place overall was satisfying, but when you have twice stood on the second step of the podium at the Tour those words seemed a bit hollow.

The men's 160-mile road race looked to be an Italy vs. Spain affair as these two countries have won the event eight times in the past ten years. With in-form riders like Damiano Cunego and Alejandro Valverde it looked like history would repeat itself before the race began. However, with the championships being held in Mendrisio, Switzerland and Fabian Cancellara being a home boy with a bit of form himself anything was possible.

It was Cancellara who provided most of the horsepower in the closing laps to bring the field altogether with one circuit remaining setting the stage for a flurry of attacks and it was Cadel's move which ruled the day. It was a great win for a rider who seems to have a love-hate relationship with journalists and the public. Will this career-defining win relieve some of the pressure on Cadel and allow him to be more relaxed when dealing with people? Hopefully so.

Bruce

ps - the UCI took the first steps towards banning race radios from the pro peloton. It appears that the plan for phasing out the radios calls for several years before total elimination. However, this plan is strongly opposed by many of the pro teams managers and directors so this issue is a long way from being decided.

364 Views 1 Comments Permalink Tags: tour_de_france, bruce_hildenbrand, fabian_cancellara, world_championships, cadel_evans, alejandro_valverde, vuelta_a_espana, silence_lotto, mendrisio, switzerland, damiano_cunego

A True Champion

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Sep 24, 2009

Kristin Armstrong is in her last week of competitive bike racing at an international level. She's at the World Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland finishing up a career that has had its share of successes. As we have seen with athletes like Brett Favre, sometimes it is hard to retire, but Kristin is calling it quits at the international level and looking to spend as much time as possible back home in Idaho.

Kristin came to cycling from triathlons at the turn of the millenium. It was clear she was strong on the bike, but like most riders crossing over from tri, she needed to learn some bike handling skills to be able to translate her talent to the top level of women's racing. Luckily, Kristin was a quick study. So quick in fact that she earned a spot on the 2004 Athens Olympic Team by winning the US Olympic Trials Road Race, beating Christine Thorburn in a two-up sprint.

In Athens, Kristin had an OK ride in the road race. She was America's top finisher in 8th, but she was a long way from the medal podium. It was in 2005, that Kristin started showing her dominance in the event that would eventually lead to an Olympic gold medal in Beijing. To be sure, Kristin was an excellent stage racers notching wins in top US races as Nature Valley Grand Prix, Tour de Toona and Tour of the Gila.

But, was in the time trials, that Kristin started winning World Championship medals. A bronze in 2005 was followed by gold in 2006 and a silver in 2007. Clearly, Kristin was one of the favorites for the gold in Beijing. Kristin spent a year in serious preparation for the event and it paid off as she dominated the Olympic Time Trial and won the race.

After an Olympic gold medal and a World Championship gold medal Kristin had very little left to prove, which probably factored into her decision to hang up her cleats. But, what makes her a true champion is that in her last time trial at the international level, she took the gold medal at the World Championships by absolutely crushing her competition, winning by almost a minute. That's the way a true champion ends a career, going out on top and leaving no doubts as to who was the best on that day.

Bruce

483 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: olympics, bruce_hildenbrand, time, kristin_armstrong, world_cycling_championships, trial

Bruce in the Sky with Diamonds

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Sep 20, 2009

You know when they show those crazy stunts on TV and put up the disclaimer that the following stunts are performed by trained professionals and should not be tried at home? Well, that sort of applies to the following, but I sort of encourage you to maybe give this a shot if you find yourself in similar circumstances.

So what's the big deal? I am sure you have all been there, but to refresh your memory, have you ever been on a ride and started to bonk? You know, that feeling of lack of both physical and mental acuity which can happen if you are out of fuel and still trying to go hard. The body, more specifically the brain, needs glucose to function properly. If you have depleted all your glycogen stores and have not been eating enough during a ride, if you go into glucose depletion, you can certainly bonk. And the more depleted of glucose you are, the harder you bonk.

Well, this past weekend, I found myself bonking coming up the final climb of my ride. This was due in part to the recent closing of my friend's grocery store in La Honda, the Pioneer Market. After twenty years in business, John and his wife were forced out and one of my key food stops is no longer. So, I missed a key feed and I was paying the price.

To be totally honest, I had a Clif Bar in my jersey, but I had been going hard all day and now, into the fifth hour of my ride in the Santa Cruz mountains, with a bonk coming on hard, I had a decision to make. The route I was riding is a popular one with me. I ride it at least once a month, sometimes every week. So, I know the route intimately and I know what is necessary to get me back home safely.

Because of this, I felt comfortable experimenting to see how I would respond as the bonk got more serious. I wasn't going to let myself pass out and crash into oncoming traffic, but I wanted to see what the more serious stages of a bonk might bring in case I am ever in the position where I was out of food and had to deal with it. I ride a lot of remote dirt roads where re-supply of both food and water is sketchy at best so I took the opportunity to see what might happen if I stretched myself a bit.

The most important thing I noticed was that if I concentrated really hard on just riding my bike, I could keep my speed up. To stay safe I had to be careful not to ignore traffic and other road hazards, but it was interesting that how really focusing on the task at hand allowed me to stave off the early stages of the bonk.

I don't really know how deep I really went, but when I topped out on the climb, it was all I could do to stagger into the store in Skylonda and buy a soda(non-diet) and a candy bar. After 10 minutes or so, I was back to normal and the ensuing descent was not a problem.

Again, If you do decide to take it to the limit, please do so responsibly. Knowing where the limit is can open up possibilities and allow you to accomplish rides that you wouldn't have been able to do otherwise. But, please be careful.

Bruce

378 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: bruce_hildenbrand, bonk

Dario and Danielle

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Sep 18, 2009

One cool thing about riding bikes is that the experience seems to transcend language and cultural barriers. Yeah, yeah, there are riders from all over the world participating in the Tour de France so maybe this isn't such an earth shattering observation. But, clearly, outside the racing milieu it is not necessarily a gimmee that we two-wheeled aficionados will all get along.

That doesn't mean that, like rabid soccer fans, rival cycling clubs are going to get in a few dust-ups at the local criterium. I might favor one rider or a team, you might favor another rider or team (but, you would be sadly mistaken with your affection). Cycling fans, especially those who ride a bike, seem to be fervent but respectful and that's a good thing.

So, there I was at the end of a cycling tour in Slovenia, Austria and Italy when I found myself on top of the Passo Tanamea. It was 5pm and it had been a long day. I just wanted to find a nice hotel in the next big town (Tarcento) and relax. Before the Tanamea, I had come over the Sella Carnizza, a pass that all serious cyclists should experience at least once in their lifetime. Here is a profile of this little leg breaker:

http://www.salite.ch/carnizza.asp?mappa=http://www.viamichelin.fr/viamichelin/ita/dyn/controller/Cartes-plans?mapId=-tuhb7nmyhln9dp&dx=485&dy=330&empriseW=970&empriseH=661

This all goes a long way in explaining why I needed to get out of my chamois ASAP. As I crested the Tanamea, which is on a very small, isolated road that leads from Italy to Slovenia, I was surprised to see another cyclist. A couple of moments later, a second rider appeared. I broke out my Italian and it was quickly determined that Dario and Danielle lived in a town very near my destination for the evening.

I think we all three just decided at once that we would ride together down into Tarcento so off we went on the 2000' descent. We rode as if we had been cycling together for years, rocketing through the twisty descents and unlit tunnels completely comfortable with each others riding.

This was the last big day of my trip and the descent with Dario and Danielle was a great way to celebrate a truly outstanding climbing fest in the Alps. To be sure, it would have been OK to roll into Tarcento by myself, but hooking up with my new Italian friends and hanging it out a bit on the descent was the perfect ending.

Bruce

ps - Of course, this is another reason why you have to go to Europe.

412 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: bruce_hildenbrand

Class Act

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Sep 15, 2009

Regardless of the fact that things are a bit slow at the Vuelta, there are some incidents that transcend cycling and sports in general. One such incident happened this past Sunday night at the MTV Video Music Awards(VMAs). While many of our sports and entertainment stars decry that they do not want to be role models for our young children and teens, the fact is that their behavior does have an impact. Being center stage at the VMAs puts an entertainer's actions in about as big a spotlight as you can get with an estimated 27 million viewers worldwide.

The incident in question didn't happen when Taylor Swift was awarded the VMA for "Best Female Video". It was her first ever VMA and during her acceptance speech Kanye West came onto the stage, took the microphone out of her hand and pronounced that Beyonce should have won the award. It was, to say the least, a very poor move on West's part.

The incident I wanted to comment on, happened later in the show when Beyonce was accepting the award for "Best Video". Instead of giving her acceptance speech she told the audience about her first ever VMA win when she was a 17-year old member of Destiny's Child and how much that award meant to her. Beyonce than asked Taylor to come up on the stage and gave Swift the microphone so she could give her acceptance speech.

You don't have to be a Beyonce fan to recognize class and a class act. In the athletic world we would call it a great sign of sportsmanship. Clearly, there are some very good examples in the sporting world as well. Hopefully, this type of behavior is contagious.

Bruce

482 Views 2 Comments Permalink Tags: bruce_hildenbrand, vuelta_a_espana, mtv_video_music_awards, taylor_swift, beyonce, kanye_west

The Vuelta Finally Getting Interesting

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Sep 13, 2009

The 2009 Vuelta a Espana(Tour of Spain to us 'Mericans) is finally getting interesting. Not that the race hasn't had a few surprises and some great moments for Americans and American teams, but the race for the overall has been, well, uh, er, a bit boring. There have been a number of marquee names vying for the top step of the podium such as Alejandro Valverde, Ivan Basso, and Cadel Evans. But, until Sunday's summit finish at La Pandera, all the GC riders seemed to be spending more time watching each other than actually trying to win.

The result of all this cat and mouse is that a number of lesser riders have been stealing the show from the stars. Hey, it is great to see more riders get a chance to shine, but it makes the racing a bit jaded if we have to wait five minutes after the stage winner to see the overall contenders cross the line. That might be OK on the flatter stages, but in the mountains, the big boys should be at the head of affairs and not trying to share TV time with racers who arrived at the bottom of the last climb with a ten minute lead.

Having said all that, it was great to see Tyler Farrar win his first ever stage of a grand tour. He was oh, so close in both the Giro and the Tour on numerous occasions and while his main rival Mark Cavendish was not in Spain, last time I checked they aren't just giving stage victories away for showing up. This is a great result for the Garmin-Slipstream rider in his first full season as a pro. I think it bodes well for his future in the sport. Also, having an American who can win a bunch sprint will definitely make watching the flatter stages of the grand tours much more interesting for American fans.

Garmin-Slipstream also won a mountain stage with Ryder Hesjedal taking the stage to Velefique. While he was one of those lesser riders off the front stealing the stage from the GC contenders, Ryder rode smartly and made his opportunity count. I really like Ryder and hope that this is a portent of big things to come.

Which leads us to Sunday's stage and the finish at La Pandera. The final 5-mile climb is really tough and provided a cornucopia of drama when overall race leader Alejandro Valverde was dropped by Ivan Basso and Robert Gesink with about three miles to go on the climb's steepest section. It looked like Valverde was going to have his usual one bad day in a grand tour and drop out of contention until he got a second wind and started chasing down his competitors.

Valverde not only succeeded in catch Basso, but he also bridged up to Gesink who was on his way to taking the overall race lead from the Spaniard. It was a display of determination worthy of a champion and it might just be the winning moment of the race. Finally, the Vuelta is getting interesting.

Bruce

510 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: bruce_hildenbrand, tyler_farrar, cadel_evans, alejandro_valverde, vuelta_a_espana, ryder_hesjedal, ivan_basso, garmin-slipstream, la_pandera

Lance and Twitter Create LA Cyclefest

Posted by Bruce Hildenbrand Sep 13, 2009

The combined power of Lance Armstrong and Twitter was once again on display this past Thursday in LA (that's Los Angeles and not Lance Armstrong) as the seven-time Tour champion invited anyone within 'tweetshot' to come to famed Griffith Park and ride with him.

"Hey LA - get out of your cars and get on your bikes. Time to ride. 7:30 tomorrow am. Griffith Park, LA Zoo parking lot. See you there.." was a Tweet Lance sent out to his nearly two million followers on Wednesday. Over five hundred cyclists showed up the next day to accompany Lance on three laps of the popular Griffith Park loop the following morning. It was only a one-hour ride, but that's not the point.

The transparency provided by Twitter created an opportunity for bike racing fans to meet their hero and enjoy an early-morning spin. Lance recently invited cyclists to join him on rides in Dublin, Ireland and Plano, Texas as well. After the LA ride, Lance tweeted "Great ride in Griffith Park. Thanks, LA!. . . Off to Montreal . . ."

If you are a fan of Twitter, stay tuned, Lance may be coming to ride in a city near you.

Bruce

393 Views 0 Comments Permalink Tags: bruce_hildenbrand, lance_armstrong, twitter