RYDER: PHENOMENAL!

Celebration!

Rodriguez (2nd) & De Gendt (3rd) party time!

Salas: KOMs Tour of California

A new climber in town...

Salas crowned as KOMs!

optumprocycling.com

I admit it, I never knew of Sebastian Salas before watching the Tour of California.

The 25 year old is from Vancouver rides for Optum Pro Cycling and scored a major victory winning the KOMs jersey. He has the credentials as a grimpeur winning in 2011: Mt. Baker Hill Climb, Mt. Seymour Hill Climb and famously the Grouse Grind Mountain Run here.

In fact, Guy mentioned to me about Salas and now he's peaked my interest. The Pocket Rocket, as his coach calls him is perfectly built 5'7" has a big enough engine for prolong and sustain endurance, he is the world record of the Grouse Grind 2.9km climb in 23:48.

“It is an amazing feeling to bring home the jersey that this team has battled for so hard all week,” said Salas after the race. “I don’t think it has quite sunk it yet. Maybe once I can get some rest and recovery I will be able to enjoy the victory a bit more, but right now I am just ready for some sleep.” 


I understand he will  be riding the Gastown Grand Prix here on July 11.... I plan to go see this young and rising star!



Richard

Beat The Clock.

After stage 4...

A new hero's in town, Sagan in yellow.

Dave 'Capt. American' Zabriske powered his way on the flat sun drenched TT in Bakersfield. Temperature hovering around the very balmy 35C, he beat the clock and wears the yellow jersey ending the four day reign by the almost unstoppable Peter Sagan.

Forty year old, Jens Voigt put on a stellar show for the old guys placing second with Tejay van Garderen in a solid third. Van Garderen is a heavy favorite for the GC as Saturday's dramatic...Mt Baldy awaits.

Jen's after Bakersfield TT

In this entertaining episode:
Neil Stephen's meets Grim Death

Peter Sagan: Surfs Up!

Cruising in Santa Cruz!

Now that Peter Sagan is looking invincible after winning his second successive stage in the Tour of California, the likely question is how many more can he win?

His nickname is the Terminator, the perfect name for this 22 year old immensely talented rider, on stage 2 to Santa Cruz, he had endured a crash and a mechanical and won handily in the final sprint.

He leads the race and looks unstoppable.

 David Boily leads in the KOMs!

Ryder Hesjedal: First Canadian in Pink!

O' Hesjedal!

Ryder Hesjedal made cycling history as the first Canadian to wear the Maglia Rosa!

Stage 7 Recanati-Rocca di Cambio 202km, Hesjedal finished fifth, five seconds behind Paolo Tiralongo and now leads Tiralongo by 15 seconds on the GC.

A Canadian cycling legend is born!

Chasing an historical pink!

Riding with the Peloton

The leader... Fausto Coppi.

After Sunday's 56km ride with our newly formed, FR Fuggitivi group (now numbering 7 members) I returned home with a gift from Guy. When I opened the package I found the newest issue from Paved (I'll have it for the upcoming Stage 5 Podcast) and four issues of Peloton.

I just finished reading some of the absorbing articles and there's many here to feed my cycling appetite. Issue #4 is all things Italian acting like a homing beacon for my inner Italian. Fitting, because we're in Giro time. I don't have a problem reading old issues, I rather enjoy it as there is plenty of content for future posts.

Fausto Coppi is legendary and adorns the front cover looking very much like a Roman Emperor... regal and untouchable.

Coppi is just the Italian lure to bring you into the passion of Italian cycling. There's food, drink (vino) and espresso to covet the foodie (who isn't?) but the true passion is on two wheels. Do you know the Italian word for masseur? It's massaggiatore!

Campagnolo, Milani, Colnago, De Rosa, Sidi, Castelli, Wilier ... it's like the fantastic figures from a wonderous Fellini movie!



Richard

Another Italian legend... Sidi.

The Eagle Has Landed... in the Giro

In time for the Giro...

Guy gave me this book, The Eagle of the Canavese: Franco Balmamion and the Giro d'ltalia by Herbie Sykes. In fact, he gave me quite a few cycling books. This is one I've wanted to read since it was first published. I'm in the middle of it and I can tell you that it's hard to put down.

The Worthy Silent Champion.

via ciociari

Franco Balmamion is a bit of a cycling iconoclast; a rider that won back to back Giro's (1962-1963), second in 1967 and third in the 1967 Tour de France. Never heard of him? He belongs to a small number of riders to successfully defend the Maglia Rosa. And yet little is written of him.

Herbie Sykes sets out to re-discover Balmamion, called the 'Silent Champion' and to put him truly back into the pantheon of cycling's greats. He captures the parochial Italian cycling world of the sixties a world of cycling mysticism.

This enjoyable read on the forgotten champion in the backdrop of 1960s historical Italy is exquisitely detailed... the Silent Champion no more!

After winning the 1963 Giro...

Both images courtesy Graziano Nardini

Campione Italiano 1967

Richard