Photo courtesy of Steephill.tv

Today will see the start of stage 3 of the 2012 Tour de France and the first time the riders will have hit French soil in the race.  This years edition of the race was always going to have a different feel to it due to high-profile riders missing out on the race and the forthcoming Olympics playing on some of the riders minds, dictating their training more than the Tour, something that very rarely happens.  Just a few days in to what is a race of epic length and proportions have we learnt anything we didn’t already know when back in Liège?

Time Trialists

The prologue through Liège was a mere 6.4km and I’m sure some of you commute to your place of work or walk to the local shops that are further away than that but it takes a special kind of rider to excel at these sorts of distances. For professional bike riders who are used to being on their bikes for between 4 and 8 hours, a 7-8 minute blast through the streets is something akin to Haile Gebrselassie taking on the 100m sprint at the Olympics. Cadel Evans was reported to have been warming up on his TT bike for around 2hrs prior to rolling down the start ramp and if you saw the amount of sweat dripping off him moments before climbing off his warm up bike you would not dispute that.

Cancellara, Wiggins, Boassen Hagen were all names that were mentioned as hot picks for the prologue win and along with Tejay Van Garderen and a surprising Sylvain Chavanel they made up the top 5. Tony Martin took a new wheel after a puncture which instantly pushed him down the leader board. On a longer TT course he is the type of rider who has the talent and power to claw that time back, but not on a course which took them just over 7 minutes to complete. Cadel Evans also ‘struggled’ with the distance and although only losing 17 seconds to Fabian Cancellara who will not be competing for the GC in Paris, he is already 10 seconds off the pace of Bradley Wiggins. For a race with so much TT’ing and the big mountains in the distance, 10 seconds can make all the difference. The biggest surprise of the day was Philippe Gilbert coming in just 13 seconds down. Not a recognised TT specialist, his super cool TT helmet and the Belgian crowds spurred him to a great ride which I’m sure he hoped to better the following day as the race stayed in Belgium.

With a lot more time trialling to come Tony Martin will have a chance to show the rest who is boss and the longer distances will suit more of the riders overall. The total length of time trialling in this years Tour has been a topic for discussion running up to the event and it is likely it will be one of the biggest factors that determines the winner.

Sprinters

Simply speaking… we still know that Super Sagan and The Manx Missile are fast to a redonkulous level. Sagan showed he’s not just about fast-twitch muscles and realised Fab was the wheel to take as the race ran into Seraing. Due to not being the younger man he once was, Cancellara is unable to merely ride away from the rest as he has done so many times before and although Sagan apologised after the race for refusing to take his turn on the run in and give Cancellara the better position, that’s racing and Cancellara shouldn’t have put himself in that position. Boassen Hagen put in a huge effort to bridge the gap and I’m sure he wont be backward about coming forward in situations like that as Cavendish won’t be around long and he needs to make sure he has good legs to take the stage wins he deserves. Realistically the steep ramp up to the finish was always going to be too much for the out-and-out sprinters and other than the aforementioned Sagan and Eddy-B, the rest of the top 12 places were taken up by what would be considered Puncheurs.

The profile and run in of Stage 2 was more of a stereotypical sprint stage and defined what is brilliant about Mark Cavendish. He doesn’t have the sprint train he might like there due to a split in team support for Bradley Wiggins but he won’t let that hold him back. He has always been a sprinter happy to be 15-20 riders back into the last bend. Watch the way he moves in any sprint. He jumps from wheel to wheel, constantly accessing who will give him the best tow further along before ditching them for the next one. It takes immense skill and vision to ride like that.  It’s similar to how Robbie McEwen plied his trade but I can’t think of anyone else who rides like that in the current Pro peloton. The tactics Mark uses mean you can never count him out and just because you don’t see him at the front of the race, doesn’t mean he wont beat you to the line. The drag race between him and Greipel was a beautiful thing to watch and had me screaming at the TV.

Although he takes immense pride in wearing the World Champion’s jersey, I can’t see Cavendish wanting to go all the way to Paris; the London 2012 Olympics are just too important. It should open up the Points competition (as long as Sagan lets the others get a look in) and we should see him fast exciting sprinting… let’s just get the nervous first few days out-of-the-way first and keep everyone upright!

Oh… and please somebody tell Sagan how to celebrate a win properly rather than looking like he is throwing some drunken shapes at 3.30am in a bar!

Photo courtesy of Steephill.tv

GC riders

It’s still very early to be sticking your neck out about the GC as there is still so much that could happen. None of the favourites have done anything stupidly silly yet to harm their chances but I’m sure Evans will be disappointed with the loss of 10 seconds on the opening day. He knows better than anyone that can make the difference. For Wiggins, coming second and NOT wearing the Yellow leaders jersey for the first few days is a good thing and knowing how calculated Team Sky can be, I wouldn’t be surprised if they planned that. The Yellow jersey comes with its own pressures and realistically, as long as you can keep tabs on your rivals, there is no need for you to be wearing it now if you want to wear it in Paris. With so much TTing to come it’s going to be difficult for someone other than Wiggins or Evans to win this race in my opinion, but who knows!? It’s a long way to Paris.

miscellaneous

Since Liège we have all learned that Team Sky look freakin’ awful in yellow helmets. What is not yet known is just how stupid others will look. Sadly I doubt Euskatel-Euskadi will ever reach the dizzy heights of the leading team to see just how horrible a yellow skid lid looks with an orange and green kit but I think we can all imagine! I’ve no idea why the teams decided to agree to this. It’s not necessary to know where every member of the team leading the teams classification is at every moment of the race, and if it was… that’s what they are wearing team kit for… to make them recognisable.  I suspect it has something to do with ASO trying to raise the profile of the team classification as it is generally seen as the lowest classification (if you don’t include the Lantern Rouge!) in terms of importance, behind the Younger Rider competition.

Still on the subject of helmets… WTF is going on with the Giro Air Attack! Granted the other teams have some ugly looking versions of their helmets with the aero inserts but this is just plain ridiculous… no… it’s redonkulous again! Here’s Bram Tankink who’s had all the great work of having a cool name undone by wearing this Giro monstrosity! He looks like Bart Simpson! It has had such an effect on his Euro-coolness that he has committed a cardinal sin of wearing the arms of his glasses on the inside of the straps!?! What is Giro up to!

Photo courtesy of cyclingweekly.co.uk

We also know, for the nth year running that Phil and Paul are utter morons. Don’t disagree with me just because you are American and have grown up on them spouting nonsensical drivel about Mr Armstrong for years. Two men who should know more about cycling and the Tour than any others consistently make huge factual errors and commentating clangers the size of an artistic tractor in a field made out of giant matchboxes (*nudge* “Paul, I think they are hay bales…”). They make me mad enough not to watch sometimes so if you want to defend them you best come ready with a damn good argument because I will be documenting their shenanigans this month and it wont be pretty!  If you want proper English language commentary, find a feed for Eurosport and listen to David Harman and Carlton Kirby.

Finally, spare a thought for Didi the Devil who is not at this years Tour de France but will be watching from a hospital bed. No he’s not having his ankle springs re-coiled, it’s actually some nasty sounding brain surgery… So get better soon Didi… the slopes of the Alps won’t be the same without you!

Photo courtesy of http://www.pbkblog.com

Stevie

I wanted to pass along information on the Urban Assault Ride that is being put together in part by my social media buddy, @jonvick (Adventure Fit) and New Belgium Brewing…you know, the makers of Fat Tire Beer.

The Urban Assault Ride is a ride that most people do just for the fun of it, as it’s not a typical riding event.  Plus, look for the $10 entry discount that we’re offering our readers as well.

Here’s how it works:

You and your teammate will set out on a city-wide quest for ‘checkpoints’ on your favorite two-wheeled steeds.  At each checkpoint, you’ll drop your bikes and complete a funky/adventurous obstacle course, then remount your bikes and hit the streets for more.

The goal is to complete all the checkpoints in the shortest amount of time. You choose your own route and checkpoint order. This means that the most clever are often the victors. Of course, it may also help if you can pull a mean big-wheel powerslide and fly across an inflatable slip-n-slide.

After your pedal-powered adventure, your team will cross the finishline and enter a massive celebration of bikes and beer. The after party is just as much fun as the ride itself, thanks to the craziest raffle prize contest you’ll ever experience.

Discount on Entry:

Anyway, if you live in Austin and want to take part in this fun loving bikey event be sure to get your registration in right now….because it happens this Sunday.  Plus if you use the coupon code – LOVINGTHEBIKE10 - you’l get $10 off your entry fee.

Register – Urban Assault Ride ATX

There’s also a few more of these events taking part in other locations this Summer so see below for details on if it’s coming to your city.  For more information on the Urban Assault Ride you can visit www.urbanassaultride.com, or read the press release below.  Bikes, Beer, and Good Times…..sounds like a recipe for fun to me.

Annual Celebration of Beer, Bikes and Big Wheels

Austin, TX – June 13, 2012 – The Gnarly Ninjas, the Gingersnaps and Hey Cupcake! are just a few of the teams “bringing it” to the New Belgium Urban Assault Ride, which returns to Austin June 24th.  The Urban Assault Ride, which launched in Austin in 2003 is now the nation’s most popular pedal-powered adventure obstacle series.  Nearly 2,000 cyclists are expected at this year’s celebration of beer, bikes and big wheels; they’ll depart from Fiesta Gardens at 8:00AM sharp on a citywide race to locate checkpoints and complete obstacles.

Registration is still open at www.urbanassaultride.com.

What started as a homegrown event that combined the best of bike racing, adventure racing, scavenger hunts and music festivals has evolved into a much-loved tradition for thousands of fun-loving cyclists who embrace the cycling lifestyle and community.  In 2002, 120 cyclists participated; 2,000 are expected at this year’s celebration.  Despite it’s growth, the Urban Assault Ride remains true to it’s mission: to get more people on bikes more often. By involving local businesses, non profits, and landmarks, the Urban Assault Ride has a local feel and connects cyclists to the community.

Its popularity is largely due to it’s unique “Choose your Own Adventure” format, that requires teams of two to plan their own routes to checkpoints all over town. At each stop, riders drop their bikes and tackle funky (and always changing) challenges which may include power-sliding big wheels through a race course, sliding down a 30’ water slide, or playing “limbo” on mini bikes.  Upon crossing the finish line, cyclists enter a huge after party with New Belgium brews and prize contests such as the ‘mustache dance-off.

“Our main goal is to create the best possible day on a bike”, said event founder, Josh Kravetz. “However, the UAR has a deep and long lasting impact in the markets where we’ve held our events. Since riders have to plan their own course around town, they end up teaching themselves safe riding routes.” The result: The majority of UAR participants end up using their bikes more for transportation following their experience.

Adventure Fit takes this healthy and eco-friendly impact even further by benefiting local bike-advocacy non-profits and shooting for zero-waste events. In 2011, the Urban Assault Ride diverted an average of 95% of event waste from landfills and donated revenues to 19 different non-profits. This is one of the main reasons that New Belgium Brewing continues to be the Urban Assault Ride’s title sponsor.

“The Urban Assault Ride has been a favorite event of the brewery for seven years.  It combines elements that we covet:  costumes, bikes and community.  Add a handful of zany obstacles and checkpoints to that mix and you get whey we’re such big fans of this event,” said Mike Keller, New Belgium’s National Festivarian.  We appreciate that Adventure Fit continues to strive to produce zero-waste events.  If you haven’t been before, this is your year.”

“If you’re unable to make the ride, at least join us for the after-party festivities,” adds Keller.  ” Proceeds from beer sales go to benefit local bicycling advocacy groups.”

For the 2012 season, riders can expect all new obstacles and after party contests designed to challenge every level of cyclist. The UAR is open to anybody seven years old and up. Team divisions include coed, male, female and family. Prizes are awards to the top three teams in each division. Each event is capped at 1500 riders and multiple sellouts are expected in 2012.

2012 Urban Assault Ride Dates & Locations:

• Sunday, February 26, 2012 – Tucson, AZ.
• Sunday, March 25, 2012 – Richmond, VA
• Sunday, April 1, 2012- Charlotte, NC
• Sunday, June 6, 2012 – St. Louis
• Sunday, June 10, Minneapolis, MN
• Sunday, June 24, Austin, TX
• Sunday, July 15, 2012 – Fort Collins, CO
• Sunday, July 22, 2012 – Denver, CO
• Sunday, August 12, 2011 – Des Moines, IA
• Sunday, August19, 2012 – Chicago, IL

Duzer Does Urban Assault

Okay, so if you need something more to convince you how much fun this will be, check out this video from my good buddy Ryan van Duzer to see just how crazy wild this is going to be:

About New Belgium Brewing

New Belgium Brewing Company, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, began operations in a tiny Fort Collins basement in 1991. Today, the third largest craft brewer in the U.S., New Belgium produces eight year-round beers; Fat Tire Amber Ale, Ranger IPA, Sunshine Wheat, Blue Paddle Pilsner, 1554 Black Ale, Abbey, Mothership Wit and Trippel, as well as a host of seasonal releases. In addition to producing world-class beers, New Belgium takes pride in being a responsible corporate role model with progressive programs such as employee ownership, open book management and a commitment to environmental stewardship. For more information, visit  http://www.newbelgium.com.

About Adventure Fit

At Adventure Fit Inc, we live for fun outdoor adventures. Our passion shows in our work through every event, team, and experience we create. Founded on the slogan “Come out and Play!”, Adventure Fit has produced some of the country’s most popular participatory sporting events.

Our events are not only fun and unique, they also have a deeper goal: to open the eyes of our participants to a world of greater social and environmental responsibility. We partner exclusively with companies that have sustainable business practices and give back to non-profits around the country. For more information, visit http://www.adventurefit.com.