Cycling News Roundup - 8 August 2008
Tour de Québec, Rock Racing - Landis?, Veilleux Wins Elk Grove, National Mtn Bike Series Update, Durango, Jeep 48Straight, Interbike Industry Crit and Cross! Olympic Road Race Online Live Tonight

USA Olympics Road Coverage:
The Games of the XXIX Olympiad begin Friday, Aug. 8. Live coverage of the men’s road race will be available on www.nbcolympics.com beginning at 11 p.m. EST/8 p.m. PST on Friday, Aug. 8.

Rock Racing - Floyd Landis?
Response From Michael Ball, Rock Racing Team Owner, To Inquiries About Floyd Landis
“At this juncture, I have not made any decisions regarding the 2009 Rock Racing roster. If – or when – Floyd Landis returns to racing, I hope people recognize that he has served his time and should be given the opportunity to showcase the talent that made him one of the world’s top bike racers. He has a right to continue to make a living in his chosen profession.”

Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast Wins Tour of Elk Grove
David Veilleux Takes Overall Win for Team; KBS/M Fine Tunes Race Tactics Ahead of Downer’s Grove Title Defense.
Canadian David Veilluex continued his impressive winning streak this past weekend at the Tour of Elk Grove in Illinois, where a sprint for the line following flaweless strategy from his team mates gave the Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast squad the overall victory. The win in Illinois comes just weeks before the team’s defense of the USPRO Criterium Championship in Downers’ Grove.

“The whole team rode a great, tactically smart race,” says performance manager, Ken Mills. “We knew with David going into the final criterium stage just two seconds down that with everyone pulling together we had a real shot at the overall win.”

Brian Buchholz represented the team in the early breakaway to cover any Bissell attempt at the three hot spot sprint wins which would give the team six, four and two second time bonuses. Buchholz took all three sprints, eradicating the chance for a Bissell rider to overtake Veilleux in the overall GC as well as protecting any threat from Successful Living, Rock Racing and Bissell.

When the breakaway reached a 49 second lead, overall leader, Hilton Clark, team Toyota-United, was forced to ride tempo for almost the entire 110km, wearing out his team mates, and allowing the remaining members of the KBS/M squad to get a free ride for much of the race. The breakaway was reeled in with three laps to go and then at the 1km mark, Reid Mumford blew past the Toyota-United team. The team split with Alex Candelario and Veilleux on the outside of the turn and Keven Lacombe and Jake Keogh on the inside and everyone fighting it out in a bunch sprint. Keogh and then Lacombe led Veilleux to within 300 km of the line where he sprinted for second place and the overall GC win.

“We were willing to loose the race in order to win overall,” says Ken Mills, performance manager. “If the breakaway had stayed out there with at least a thirty second gap, Bissell would have taken the overall race if the lead had stayed in place until the end. Our tactics put pressure on Toyota-United to ride tempo almost the entire race and kept the lead to under a minute.”

“I’m tremendously proud of the way David and all our guys rode. Winning is always nice but this was a chance to test our ability to execute on a distinct race strategy and fine tune things ahead of Downers’ Grove in a few weeks.”

David Veilleux’s recent wins include the Tour of Pennsylvania, the Canadian National Time Trial and Road U23 Canadian National Road Race, the Kelly Cup in Baltimore, Maryland and the final grueling stage of the Nature Valley Grand Prix in Stillwater, MN.

The team prepares to take the winning streak to Downers’ Grove for the defense of the USPRO Criterium Championship, August 16-17. Last year’s winner, Martin Gilbert will not be attending as he will be in Beijing racing for the Canadian National Team at the Olympic Games.

The Kelly Benefit Strategies/Medifast pro cycling team is managed out of Minneapolis by Circuit Global Sport Management.

Tour de Québec
Québec city, ready to host inaugural Tour de Québec in September.
On September 4th, the inaugural Tour de Québec will launch inside old Quebec fortifications. These ramparts surrounding Old Quebec are the only remaining fortified city walls in the Americas north of Mexico, and were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 as the "Historic District of Old Quebec. The prologue consist of a 250m, drag race style, sprint toward the Portes St-Jean fortifications where two riders will face each other to set the fastest time and wear the leader jerseys presented by Champion System.

Other stages include a 113km road race (details still to be confirmed) in Beaupré with a finish next to the Basilique St-Anne will commemorate its 350th anniversary this year. Saturday will see a technical criterium around the parliament in downtown Quebec city with a finish on the Canadian Champs élisées (the Grande Allée) followed by another criterium at Lévis along the St-Laurent river. Le Tour de Québec will end Sunday the 7th with another road race of 140km in St-Augustin.

National sanctioned cycling stage race
Sanctioned by the Canadian Cycling Association, teams from all over Canada are expected to attend the event as well as many teams coming from the United States. "In the Pro 1-2 men category, we expect at least 10 local teams from the Quebec province, of which several confirmed participation. 3-4 teams from Ontario, riders from the maritimes and Team H&R Block from British Colombia will assure a very strong canadian participation while Vermont Composite and Met-Life Pro AM from the USA will send full squad to the Tour."

Still in negotiation with many US teams, the organization hope to add 2-3 more US teams and also revealed the possible participation of teams from France, Belgium and Nigeria, making the Tour de Québec, an international event.

Three races, 19 000$ in cash prizes, 4 leaders jersey
Le Tour de Québec is also open to other categories. The Elite womens race will consist of the final 3 stages of the Pro 1-2 men race. The women race is open to professional women teams as well as cat 3 and junior female riders. 3 370$ and 4 leader jerseys are also on the table. The juniors, masters and senior 3-4 are all mixed up in another Cat 3 field which also contest 4 leader jersey and $2,485 prizes. The Pro 1-2 category will contest over 12 000$ in cash prizes over the 4 days, an important total compared to the other races in Canada.

The leader jerseys
Tour de Québec leader jersey will be white and yellow. The U23 jersey white and blue is co-sponsored by
CopieXpress and Four Points by Sheraton. The climbers jersey follows tradition of the tour with red and white sponsored by  FM 93,3. The top sprinters jersey follows the theme with white and green sponsored by Subway and Physiointeractif.com.

Tour de Québec race sponsor title still available
Although the organization has managed to get sufficient partners, the race title is still available, a unique opportunity to be associated with a historic inaugural event and get a tremendous visibility in Quebec province, the rest of Canada and the US also to be covered by the medias. Read the Complete Marketing Program 

National Mountain Bike Series Finals Update
The National Mountain Bike Series is pleased to announce SHO-Air as a sponsor of the NMBS Finals scheduled for Brian Head, Utah. The American Mountain Challenge will be held August 21-24 at Brian Head, Utah. The National Mountain Bike Series Finals Presented by Trek VW will be held the following weekend, August 29-31.  An updated schedule is available online.

Tour of Durango Sunday, October 12, 2008
A non-competitive tour of Durango, featuring Colorado’s world class single track trail systems including River Trail, Horse Gulch, Animas Mountain, Dalla Mountain Park and Durango Mountain Park - a true 360 degree tour of Durango’s finest trails. See firsthand why so many pros choose to live and train in Durango!

Proceeds benefit Trails 2000 and the Southwest Conservation Corps, two non-profit organizations that maintain Durango’s trails. More information is at:. www.tourofdurango.com

The Battle of North Valley's Hills '08
Register for one, two, or all three days by 8/15/08 and SAVE 10%! Details at www.forba.org - Registration is at:
http://www.active.com/event_detail.cfm?event_id=1598152

Jeep 48STRAIGHT Mountain Bike Series Registration Open
Weekend Highlights Also Include Indy-Cross Race Against the Clock, Beer Garden, Sponsor Alley and FREE Concert by AC/DC Tribute Band, Hell’s Belles
When Jeep 48STRAIGHT, the largest sports, music and entertainment event in the U.S., arrives at Diablo Freeride Park at Mountain Creek in Vernon, N.J., on Aug. 22-23, opportunities will abound for mountain bike riders to test their skills. For some very skilled professionals and semi-professional racers from across the Northeast, the stakes are even higher as an open qualifier event will allow a select few to gain entry into the championship competition against the very best athletes from across the globe.

Headlining the action-packed weekend will be the Sat., Aug. 23 Jeep 48STRAIGHT Mountain Bike Series, featuring top ranked racers battling in dual slalom format for the richest payout in professional mountain bike racing. Competitors such as World Champions Brian Lopes and Eric Carter, as well as National Champions Rich Houseman and Melissa Buhl, are just a few of the elite athletes who have already signed on to make a run for the title. On Friday, Aug. 22, local professionals and semi-pros will also have a chance to grab one of the spots in the competition through an open qualifier which will be capped at 75 men and 25 women. Registration is now open at www.48STRAIGHT.com.

Non-elite amateurs and club riders will also have their chance to shine and earn prizes in the Indy-Cross competition, staged in the woods on a somewhat slower course with tighter features such as hairpin turns and pumping rollers, rewarding those best able to maintain flow. Diablo Freeride Park will feature live online timing for the rest of the season so that riders may participate in a virtual race league against the top time posted.

An equally dynamic line-up of events off the dirt will make for an electrifying weekend at Mountain Creek Resort. Guests are invited to enjoy a visit through the Sponsor Alley and pick up some great free gear from partners including Jeep, Paul Mitchell, Trikke, Michelin, Rossignol, Cycleworks Bike Shop and Adidas Eyewear, among others. Jeep will host simulator rides, while Paul Mitchell’s professional stylists offer $15 haircuts with proceeds benefiting the Challenged Athletes Foundation. Visitiors may also test drive Trikke scooters and receive free safety checks for their bikes, courtesy of Cycleworks Bike Shop.

Additional features include the Jeep 48STRAIGHT Beer Garden, featuring some of the most popular beverages from local and regional breweries, and a dynamic FREE concert from Hell’s Belles, the world-renowned all-female AC/DC tribute band.

The full event schedule includes:
Friday, August 22
9:00 – 9:45 a.m. Athlete & Course Inspection
10:00 - 11:30 a.m. Athlete Training
12:30-3:30 p.m. Race Qualification
4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Rookie Rally - Indy Cross Track

Saturday, August 23
10:15 a.m. Athlete Course Inspection
10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Athlete Training
11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Expo & Beer Garden
12:00 - 2:30 p.m. Jeep 48STRAIGHT Dual Slalom Race
2:30 - 4:00 p.m. Rookie Rally - Indy Cross Track
3:00 p.m. Awards Ceremony
4:30 - 6:00 p.m. Free Concert Featuring Hell’s Belles

Full event information, including dates, times, and locations, as well as registration for the cycling competitions, may be found at www.48STRAIGHT.com.

Each event of the Jeep 48STRAIGHT summer season will receive national broadcast coverage on CBS Sports, representing the most visibility of any mountain biking event in the sport. The event at Mountain Creek will air on CBS Sports on September 28. In addition to the first stop at Mountain Creek, the 48STRAIGHT schedule also includes stops on September 19-20 at The Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah, and October 24-25 at The Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
 

Jeep 48Straight - New Environmental Initiatives Summer Cycling Series
Highlights Include “Green Your Scene” Tips &
 “Less Trash – More Rewards” Recycling Program
As Jeep 48STRAIGHT, the largest sports, music and entertainment event in the U.S., prepares to launch its summer mountain bike series on August 22-23 at Diablo Freeride Park at Mountain Creek Resort in Vernon, N.J., the outdoor lifestyle platform will at the same time unveil a number of carbon footprint-reducing initiatives designed to raise environmental awareness on a local and national scale.

As the ultimate celebration of the outdoor experience, Jeep 48STRAIGHT credits the outdoors as a place to test the limits of human performance, if not sanity, as well as source of a more healthy, responsible and progressive lifestyle. This message is reinforced at three events taking place from August through October across the U.S. In addition to the kick-off in New Jersey, Jeep 48STRAIGHT will visit The Canyons Resort in Park City, Utah, on September 19-20 and at, and The Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, Calif., on October 24-25.

During its inaugural winter season, Jeep 48STRAIGHT hosted a series of “Green Your Scene” environmental symposiums featuring a diverse line-up of guest speakers at the forefront of the sustainability movement, including Mariel Hemingway, Michael Franti, Aimée Christensen, Auden Schendler and Rocky Anderson. More than 700 residents from across Idaho visited Sun Valley to take part in the discussion and the issue of climate change and the mountain lifestyle.

This summer, Jeep 48STRAIGHT will promote “Green Your Scene” tips at each event, as well as weekly tips on its newly expanded website, www.48Straight.com, beginning on August 15. The tips will offer outdoor enthusiasts of all ages ideas on how to reduce their carbon footprint at home. For example, “If 20,000 Americans took one less paper napkin at a fast food restaurant, in one year we could conserve the total annual paper use of 50 Americans.” www.idealbite.org

Jeep 48STRAIGHT also is seeking partners to help implement a new “Less Trash – More Rewards” program. At each summer event, attendees will receive green corn-plastic garbage bags for use in collecting recyclable materials such as aluminum cans or plastic bottles. Once the entire bag is full, attendees return the full bags in exchange for a free bag or beverage of their choice in reward. This initiative was recently tested at a music festival in Europe and 97 percent of the cups used at the festival concession stands were brought back for recycling as a result. Those interested in partnering with Jeep 48STRAIGHT on this program may contact event representative Kate Danaher at kdanaher@48Straight.com.

The action-packed Jeep 48STRAIGHT weekend is headlined by the Jeep 48STRAIGHT Mountain Bike Series, featuring top ranked racers battling in dual slalom format for the richest payout in professional mountain bike racing. Local professionals and semi-pros also have a chance to earn a spot in the competition through an open qualifier competition. For non-elite amateurs and club riders, Jeep 48STRAIGHT offers an Indy-Cross competition allowing participants to earn prizes and test their mettle while trying to beat a blistering time set by one of the world’s top ranked professional racers.

Off the dirt, spectators are treated to a Sponsor Alley, with free gear from partners including Jeep, Paul Mitchell, Trikke, Michelin, Rossignol and Adidas Eyewear, as well as free concerts from top musicians and other cross-cultural initiatives celebrating the unique cultural flavor of each host site.

Full event information, including dates, times, and locations, as well as registration for the cycling competitions, may be found at www.48STRAIGHT.com. 

Television Coverage
Each event of the Jeep 48STRAIGHT summer season will receive national broadcast coverage on CBS Sports, representing the most visibility of any mountain biking event in the sport. The event from New Jersey will air on CBS Sports on September 28.

About Jeep-48STRAIGHT
Jeep-48STRAIGHT, founded in 2007 and headquartered in Ketchum, Idaho, is a multi-media, consumer-driven platform designed to empower individuals who aspire to connect to the outdoor lifestyle through sport, music and ‘green’ awareness and consciousness. Its unique capabilities have established Jeep 48STRAIGHT as the premiere organizers of world-class high-end summer and winter sporting competitions, as well as a top promoter of concerts that have included some of the world’s best-known musicians. The company’s global reach is made possible through 16 hours of CBS network specials highlighting year-round initiatives such as the Jeep 48STRAIGHT mountain sports/music/culture festivals; sports performance training programs; green education symposiums and a virtual outdoor lifestyle information network. In addition to Jeep, marketing partners include John Paul Mitchell Systems, Michelin, Beyond Coastal, Trikke, Rossignol, Crux Event Management & Production, Diablo Freeride Park at Mountain Creek Resort (N.J.), The Canyons Resort (Utah) and The Madonna Inn (Calif.). For more information on Jeep 48STRAIGHT media, event and merchandise offerings, visit www.48STRAIGHT.com

 2008 Interbike
Cyclocross and Criterium Races for Bike Industry Members
Organizers of CrossVegas and the USA CRITS Finals today announced that they will each stage separate bicycle industry only races for the upcoming September 2008 Interbike International Bicycle Expo in Las Vegas. CrossVegas' inaugural "Wheelers and Dealers" industry only cyclocross race will be held Wednesday, September 24 at the Desert Breeze Soccer Complex. The second annual USA CRITS Industry Cup, presented by Bicycling Magazine, criterium race will be held the following evening, Thursday, September 25 at the Mandalay Bay Resort.

"With two years of back-to-back competitive racing events, in tandem with the bicycle industry's trade event, Interbike and the industry are helping Vegas cultivate a culture of cycling," said Lance Camisasca, Interbike's industry consultant. "Now that the show will be held in Las Vegas for a few more years, we welcome CrossVegas and Swagger in making the city famous for great cycling events."

Both CrossVegas, LLC and Swagger, LLC are producing two separate large professional and amateur cycling races during the week of Interbike, as well as the industry only races for show attendees. The main events, CrossVegas and the USA CRITS Finals are intended to introduce Las Vegas locals and tourists to the sport of cycling, while the industry only races will be good clean fun for show attendees.

CrossVegas Wheelers and Dealers Race
Beginning at 6:30 pm, the bicycle industry's "working class" will race for 30 minutes on the same Desert Breeze Soccer Complex course as the elite categories. All Wheelers and Dealers industry participants will race together, with winning times calculated to determine Top Male, Top Female, Media, Manufacturer, Retailer, Distributor and Cycling Advocate winners. Winners of each category will receive bragging rights and a commemorative CrossVegas medal.

"With the addition of the Wheelers and Dealers race and the shuttle buses from the Sands, CrossVegas is an even bigger part of the Interbike experience," said Brook Watts, co-promoter and marketing director for CrossVegas, LLC. "Nobody should show up at Interbike the day after the race and hear the words 'You should've been there.'"

The Desert Breeze Soccer Complex is approximately eight miles from the Strip and the Sands Convention Center, location of the Interbike trade show. Interbike will provide complimentary shuttle service from the Sands to the race location from 6:00-11:00 pm, with shuttles leaving every 15 minutes (last shuttle from the race returning to the Sands will leave at 11:00).

USA CRITS Industry Cup, presented by Bicycling Magazine
Returning for its second year, the Industry Cup, presented by Bicycling Magazine, will begin at 8:30 pm at the Mandalay Bay Resort. Industry Cup participants will race 40km on the same 1k course as the USA CRITS professional series finale, which serpentines through the Mandalay Bay parking area. Jerseys will be awarded to winners in each of the five categories: Manufacturer, Media, Retailer, Distributor and Pro Team Support Staff (mechanics, team directors).

"Last year's Industry Cup had some fierce racing with ex-pros, manufacturers, independent reps and shop owners and staff racing each other," said Ravi Rajcoomar, managing partner of Swagger, the country's leading producer of criterium racing and organizer of the Vegas CRITS. "This year I wonder if last year's racers and any new comers are willing to put their money where their mouths are and show us who's the fastest!"

The Industry Cup is open to 25 teams of four people. Individual riders who cannot field an entire team can be combined with other riders looking for a team. Champions in each industry division will be crowned on the podium in front of and expect 25,000 fans.

The Mandalay Bay Resort is a short distance from the Sands Convention Center and show attendees are encouraged to show their support of alternative modes of transportation by riding their bike, walking, taking a bus or sharing a taxi to the event.

Industry participants for the CrossVegas and USA CRITS Finals Industry Cup must be full-time employees in the cycling industry whose primary income is derived from working for the company entering the event (not as spokesmen), and be an amateur with a valid USCF Cat 1-4 license.

For more information about CrossVegas and the CrossVegas Wheelers and Dealers Race, go to www.CrossVegas.com. Registration fee for the industry only race is $45.00 per person, and is limited to 100 riders.

For more information about the USA CRITS Finals Industry cup, presented by Bicycling Magazine, go to www.finals.usacrits.com. Entry fees range from $75.00 for individuals up to $1,500.00 for teams with VIP benefits.

About CrossVegas
CrossVegas is owned by Cross Partners LLC, a Boulder Colorado based group headed by Chris Grealish and Brook Watts that stages international cyclocross events including CrossVegas, The Boulder Cup and The Redline Cup. Grealish has over 21 years of cyclocross event promotion experience. Watts goes back to the early days of U.S. cyclocross including promotion of the 1979 U.S. National Championships. Cross Partners events are known for attention to details like course design, athlete amenities and full marketing and promotional support. 2008 CrossVegas sponsors include Alpha Q, Clif Bar, Challenge Tires, TRP, Dale's Pale Ale, VeloNews and Clark County Parks Department. For more information, please visit www.CrossVegas.com.

About Swagger
Recognized as a leading action and adventure sports production company, Swagger offers an array of business services that include branding, creative services, events and athletes, media packaging and production, mobile programs, public relations and communications, relationship leveraging, sales and sponsorship, staffing resources, and strategic marketing. As the country's leading producer of criterium racing currently producing over forty criterium events, Swagger has over 50 years of combined experience as a sports marketing and event management organization. Swagger has managed America's premier criterium, the Twilight Criterium in Athens, Georgia for nearly 30 years and has assisted with hundreds of large and small-scale events. For more information, please visit www.swagger.us.

About Interbike
Interbike  Producers of the OutDoor Demo and Interbike International Bicycle Expo, Interbike is the leading bicycle industry business-to-business event management company, bringing together top manufacturers, retailers, industry advocates and media to conduct the business of cycling. Now celebrating more than 25 years of successful events, Interbike (www.interbike.com) gathers more than 1,000 cycling-related brands and close to 23,000 total attendees annually. The 2008 Interbike trade-only events begin with OutDoor Demo (September 22-23, 2008 in Boulder City), followed by the Interbike Expo, September 24-26 at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, and OutDoor Demo East, October 21-22 at Roger Williams Park in Providence, Rhode Island.

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