Wheelsets

Here is a few of the wheelsets we have been working on over the holidays. First, a few pictures of a C4 FH78 laced to an Ambrosio F20 Tubular rim. This wheel weigh about 620g, perfect for roadie weight weenies!

And here is a mountain bike wheelset made with Velocity rims and hubs

Sorry for the absence...

I have not been keeping up with the blog, but I have been busy working on new product for the business. Of note, we have started to bring in C-4 road and mountain hubs for custom wheel builds, Alchemy hubs, Kinlin road rims and we have a nice amount of Ambrosio rims on order. The Ambrosio rims will be laced to Campy compatible Miche hubs using Sapim Race double butted spokes, making for a great all day training or racing wheelset. These wheelsets will weigh around 1750g and will retail for around $399. A great deal for your Italian road bike!

Cheers

Mens' Kit Photos

Here are some photos of the new gear. Martin also has a long sleeve shirt that we can get pictures, the argyle is on the cuff of that shirt too.

TdF: Stage One

Passage du Gois, crashes, and an uphill sprint finish.


The first stage of the tour was not the traditional prologue time trial, but a road stage from Passage du Gois to Mont des Alouettes. 191km, and this is my report....


A few nervous crashes today, with Movistar and Lotto getting the worst of it. Not a tour ender, but this could have hurt Philippe Gilbert's chances at some stage victories, including the opener. With an uphill finish, the stage favoured guys like Thor, PhilGil, Tommy Voeckler, and guys who like to give a flyer once in a while like Count Vino and even Alberto Contador!


A three-man break took off right off the Gois, and spent the day in front until caught at the 20km mark, at which point PhilGil's Pharma-Lotto team really took control of the race with some help from Tom Voeckler's Europcar. Of course the overall contenders had team protection near the front as well.


By the time the peloton hit 11-10km out, a mess of teams were on the front with confusion and a torrid pace animating the race. When at 9km, an Astana rider hit a fan on the side of hte road, taking down at least 40-50 riders and stopping half the peloton, including AC. Left in the pack included some big names - Voeckelr, Cancellara, PhilGil, Evans, Thor, JJ Rojas, and Retirement Shack's Chis Horner. A second pile-up a bit further back really left the race to the tough guys who survived and stayed up front. In the last few kilometres, PhilGil had controlled the front when an attack from Katusha, then from Spartacus Cancellara was matched by the Belgian champ. Philippe Gilbert hammered ahead of Cancellara for the win with Cadel Evans taking advantage of the chaos to come in second.


Stage One & Overall:


1. Philippe Gilbert
2. Cadel Evans
3. Thor Hushovd
4. JJ Rojas
5. JVDB
6. Geraint Thomas
7. Andreas Kloden
8. Rein Taaramae
9. Chis Horner
10. Tony Martin


The notables:


12. F Schleck
14. Thomas Voeckler
15. Damiano Cunego!!
16. David Millar
17. Count Vino
18. Cancellara
19. Nick Roche
23. Tom Boonen
32. Sam Sanchez
35. AC
39. Andy Schleck
45. Levi Leipheimer
53. Ivan Basso
63. Brad Wiggins
69. Tom Danielson
71. Ryder Hesjedal


Crazy, crazy first stage, but PhilGil the odds on favourite for hte day was able to control himself through the chaos and win the stage! Tomorrow, the Team Time Trial!

New National Champions!

As most countries held national championships the weekend, and now there will be a whole bunch of new, and some returning riders representing their country. Cyclingnews link below:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/2011-national-championships-index-page

The run down:

Swiss - Spartacus (Leopard Tank)
USA - Matt Busche (Retirement Shack), over George Hincapie
Spain - JJ Rojas (MoviStar), over AC
Italia - Visconti (Farnese)
Britain - Bradley Wiggens (Sky), dragged over the line by a bunch of teammates...
France - Chavanel (Quick Step)
Australia - Bobridge (Garmin-Cervelo)
Belgium - Philly Gilbert (Loto), this guy is killing people this year!
Germany - Wagner (Leopard), but then the Brits, Canadians, and Americans intervened on the behest of France, and then Germany lost...oh wait.

And Canada - Svein Tuft of SpiderTech doubles up as TT and Road champ this year. Clara Hughes wins the womens TT and Fortin wins the womens road race. For Hushes, this is the first championships since 2003 (that is like 8 years for those that aren't counting). For Team SpiderTech, somebody from the team was going to win something, or Steve Bauer would have made the team do hill repeats and sprint intervals until they were invited to the Tour de France....

Canadians in Philly

Inside of the final kilometre, the hopes of Canadian Pro Continental squad Team Spidertech powered by C10 were dashed as Kevin Lacombe, Martin Gilbert and Pat McCarty all went down rounding Logan Circle, adding to the chaos in the finale.

The above quote from Cycling News says it all. For the full story, here is the link:

http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/27th-td-bank-international-cycling-championship-1-hc/results

Sounds like our guys were at looking to hit the podium and hit the tarmak instead.

Richter Bicycles Cycling Kit

OK everybody,

Richter Bicycles is getting ready to order our initial cycling kit order. While prices are to be confirmed, we are not planning on outrageous pricing! To get an idea on pricing, most shops charge between $60-100 for a new jersey, and $70-200 for a new pair of bib shorts. We plan on being between $100-125 for a combination deal of jersey and bib shorts/shorts (TBC). Here are the proofs for the kit:

Sizing will be based on a "Racer Cut" which mean that if you are not comfortable with tight fitting cycling gear, than order once size up. For example, I usually wear a large cycling shirt (due to my massive musculature of course!) and wear a medium short or bib short. The same will be with women's sizing. For the women, I will be ordering shorts, and for the men, bib shorts. Exceptions can be made if you are a guy and prefer shorts, or a woman and prefer bib shorts. To pre-order, contact us at rbs.bikes@gmail.com and use the subject "Pre-Order RBS Cycling Kit."

Please comment.

Cheers,
Dan

Bikeology Festival & Bike Month

I have been away from the blog for a few weeks, so here I am....

The Battle River Cycling Club is now officially a month old now. The membership is slowly growing and we are looking to develop in to the recreational and family oriented club that would be of interest in the local community. There are a few intrepid members that are also going to dabble into races, but mostly for fun. Speaking of bicycle culture, June is Bike Month in Alberta, and to celebrate Edmonton has the Bikeology Festival. If in Edmonton during any of the events, I recommend checking them out.

http://www.bikeology.ca/

In honour of Bike Month, the local base gym is also putting on a contest for cycling into work. Any locals in Wainwright who work on base can check out the info at the gym.

In honour of Bike Month, I think I will plan something for the BRCC - more on that soon bike fans.

On a different train of thought, with the US Federal investigation in to the old US Postal Team and doping is on-going, allegations against Lance Armstrong from Floyd Landis, Tyler Hamilton, and the media, I will be blogging a series of posts that will be some what serious and maybe even dip into the personal over the next few weeks. Stay tuned for those, but I will probably blog other news and opinions as the next few months of bike racing and riding rolls along.

Marco Pinotti is a Righteous Dude

For those not in the know, Marco Pinotti is a rarity. An old-school Italian road bike racer, who calls 'em like he see 'em. Marco has race with and against the best over the last ten plus years, and he is vocal of his disgust of doping! In the interview on this link, you get the feeling that he is close to exploding when speaking about the way the system lets dopers skirt or avoid testing or REAL sanctions. Enjoy, I did.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/marco-pinotti-exclusive-interview-with-italian-cyclings-voice-of-reason

Battle River Cycling Club!

Hey everybody, the new club now exists and is official. The Alberta Bicycling Association now has us in the registration system.

The BRCC offers the following benefits:

• No age limit, membership ages from 0 to 100!
• Grassroots development of the sport and activity of bicycling in Eastern Alberta
• Participation in all Club Rides, Races, and Events (Helmets mandatory)
• Skills training for road, track, mountain bike, and eventually BMX!
• Winter Group Training
• Volunteer opportunities, including developing potential charity events
• Athlete support & access to club equipment
• Ability to purchase quality club clothing at great prices
• Access to Sanctioned Races & Events, Commissaire and Coaching courses, and affiliation with the Alberta Bicycling Association (ABA) & Canadian Cycling Association (CCA)
• ABA Liability and Accident Insurance during all sanctioned and scheduled BRCC, ABA, & CCA events
• “Club Members Only” 20% discount at Richter Bicycle Services (repairs, maintenance, and coaching)

BRCC Core Values & Program Goals:

• Promote family oriented bicycling activities
• Inclusive of all and any bicyclists – no bike snobbery in this club!
• Grassroots development of the sport and activity of bicycling in Eastern Alberta
• Develop children’s and junior programs
• Support athletes of all ages
• Winter Training including on and off bike training
• Spring Camp in 2012
• Promote commuting and its environmental & health friendly benefits

BRCC Ride Schedule:

• Mondays – An early morning training ride, times get earlier with the rising sun!
• Tuesdays – Every second Tuesday is the BRCC’s “Toonie Tuesday” race series to teach and develop racing skills in a friendly atmosphere
• Thursdays – Ladies night group ride, Daddies & Kids ride
• Saturdays – Group Ride (broken into fast and slow or short and long groups)
• Sundays – Group rides as per Saturdays
• Monthly – Random events that appeal to the club membership, suggestions are welcome

How to Become a Member:

• Fill out and return the BRCC Membership application & waiver with membership fee ($40 for 12 and under, $50 for 13-17, and $60 for 18 and over)
• Go online to the ABA website and following the membership instructions, join the ABA through Zone4 online membership registration – pick your club affiliation as the “Battle River Cycling Club.” Register as an ABA General Member for $40, or obtain a race license for $75 to $135. You can register more than one individual at a time through the ABA website/Zone4. The BRCC President needs to sign all ABA memberships to indicate that ABA insurance will be paid through the club.
• Enjoy riding and socializing with the club, purchase BRCC gear, and volunteer to build cycling in Eastern Alberta!

Thanks for reading and if you are in the Wainwright area, please consider joining!

Liege - Bastogne - Liege

OK sports fans, La Doyenne of the Classics, the last but not the least runs on Easter Sunday.

News here  http://www.cyclingnews.com/liege-bastogne-liege

Live internet coverage here  http://www.cyclingfans.com/

While our man Ryder Hesjedal was sick with stomach problems last weekend during the Amstel Gold race (he even ducked into a house on the side of the road for relief...he has bounced back and finished in the top 15 at Fleche Wallonne. He is looking at some heavy hitters as competition, Philippe Gilbert, on a rip of late and wanting the L-B-L win, Alexander Vinokourov - defending champ, and a pack of other possible contenders.

So if you are up waaaayyyearly on Sunday, tune into cyclingfans.com for live coverage links.

And eat and drink something Belgian, Hoegartten and waffles!

Canada's Team Spidertech Podiums

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/routley-delivers-spidertechs-first-podium-in-europe

Our national champ, Will Routley, scores Spidertech's first European podium with a second at Tro Bro Leon. Team Spidertech, for all of my readers, is a Professional Continental team, which competes world-wide against other pro-conti teams as well as Pro-Tour teams. Spidertech goes into the Tour of Turkey next, but the next big goal is going to be the Tour of California in May.

http://cyclesportmanagement.com/

oh, and Team Spidertech is managed by cycling God, Steve Bauer.

Amstel Gold!

Philippe Gilbert repeats and wins Amstel Gold.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/04/news/philippe-gilbert-repeats-at-amstel-gold-race_169132

One of my favourite riders on the Pro Tour, Philippe Gilbert has in the past also been very outspoken about clean riding. He routinely denounces the dopers, and proves that a pro can ride clean.

One our big guy Ryder, he ended up in 141th place (last year he was second to Gilbert), citing stomach problems.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/hesjedal-slowed-by-stomach-problems-at-amstel-gold-race

Let's hope Ryder can bounce back and  do some damage at the Tour of Califorina next month.

Richter Bicycles is in Business!

OK, officially I start on Saturday, 16 April 2011. But we are taking appointments anytime now!

So if you are in need of giving your bike some love, call and book your service today! (does that sound like a good pitch???)

Anyways, with snow flying over today and probably tomorrow too, I don't think anybody is thinking about a bike right now. Maybe rage and frustration, but not our bikes. Hoping everybody has a great weekend,

Dan

PS--Basic tune ups start at $45 bucks....

Paris-Roubaix 2011!!!

COBBLE TIME!!!!

OK, for all of my millions of fans who do not regularly follow the pro cycling scene, tomorrow at about 0400 Mnt Time, the greatest one day race begins. The Queen of the Classics, Paris-Roubaix is the ultimate test of suffering over 27 sections of ancient cobblestone roads for 256 kms. A strongman's race, P-R has produced some of cycling most memorable moments. At times the peloton will be strung-out over many kilometres as speeds with rise over 50 kph. If it rains (or snows!), the roads will turn into a quagmire for ankle-deep muck that will break all but the most dedicated of racers. If it is dry, the clouds of dust will choke all but those at the very front. Needless to say, it will suck for the pros. But that will make great racing for the fans. Rabid drunken fans.

Last year's victor, Fabian "Spartacus" Cancellara will remain the favourite to win with heavy rivals being Tom Boonen, Heinrich Haussler, Baden Cooke, and big George Hincapie. Other hopefuls include other strongment, Thor Hushovod, Roger Hammond, and Tyler Farrar - all teammates of Haussler (Garmin-Cervelo). Also we have Juan Antonio Flecha, Boy-Wonder, Mark Cavendish, Andre Greipel, and the old man of the sprint crew Robbie McEwan. Actually anything can happen at P-R, and that is part of the magic.

Of note, we have three Canadians in the race tomorrow - veteran Michael Barry will be expected to keep Flecha clear of danger for Team Sky, David Veilleux will be riding for Team Europcar, and most exciting!!!! Dominique Rollin is the only non-Frenchman (barely as a Quebecois) on FdJ. The Domster has the ability to be an outside surprise as he performs in bad weather. At the 2008 Tour of California, he out muscled a chasing peloton in harsh rains to take the win. So Rollin is my long-shot prediction, with Spartacus repeating if the contenders make the race.

For news on the race, see http://www.cyclingnews.com/paris-roubaix

For live Internet video, see http://www.cyclingfans.com/node/1816

Everybody, enjoy the pain!

A Navy SEAL, a Rabbi, and a Surgeon...

What do all three have in common? They are all on course with me at the United Bicycle Institute in Ashland, Oregon.

As I made my way into Ashland from the Medford International Airport, I was greeted with views of snow covered mountains and lush green boulevards. I am staying at the Cycle Hostel in the core of the little downtown area of Ashland, the hub of coffee houses, tap houses, fine dinning in jeans, and little old houses converted into bed and breakfasts and hostels.

The weather was not to the locals liking, but I am happy, as it is clearly beautiful outside.

The school itself is outstanding. And while I am now only half way through the course, I am happy with the professional  instruction, laid back atmosphere, and fun classmates I have met while here. Rico, the Navy SEAL, shares a workbench and tools with me, next to us are Don, a retired IBM Executive, and Ken, the Surgeon. Across from us is George, the Rabbi. Yes, there are some young guys in the class, and a mother and daughter taking the course together too. We are all enjoying ourselves, as we get deeper into our bikes than we have ever been.

Well, I hope everyone else back home is having a good week too. Once I am done here in Ashland, I will be opening for business in Wainwright, Richter Bicycle Services will actually start doing repairs!

Cheers,

Snowed-In Sundays

Ahhh, the bane of every cyclist, being snowed-in on a Sunday. Well, that's why we have trainers and rollers.

Today, during the kids' nap time, I will be doing the following workout:

Warm-up:
3 minutes light pedal
1 minute hard, 2 minutes light
30 seconds single leg, each leg x 3
2 minutes light pedal
1 minute hard
2 minutes light pedal

Main sets:
3x 10 minute tempo to TT effort with 3-5 minutes light pedal in between

Cool-down:
3x 30 second fast spins (high cadence) with 30 seconds light pedal in between
2-5 minutes light pedal (or until the kids wake up and start yelling at me!)

The goal of this workout is to think about and work on sustained efforts during races - bridging gaps, catching up after a mechanical, or making a break. Some easy listening music, like Metallica or Anthrax aught  to keep the pace high!

Enjoy.

Dopers Suck

Sorry for the lack of posts over the last few weeks, I've been busy, ok?

So the Alberto Contador doping investigation but Spanish Cycling officials has netted nothing but sweet kisses on the defending TdF Champ's buttocks. Sorry for the image, but Spain is again proving itself to be as hard on dopers as cotton candy. AC never refuted the fact that clen was in his blood. He only offered a dubious explanation of tainted meat. Are we sure it was beef? Maybe some milk was tainted? It don't friggen matter! Athletes that have been found with banned substances get some type of sanction, regardless of intent.

In defense of pro cycling, no other pro sport tests to the same standard. Bio-passports to track "normal" body physiology through out the year, tests at races for podium finisher and random participants, and random testing throughout the year, at any time. In fact, pro cyclist are required to maintain strict schedules in order to provide testing officials 100% access. Ask "Chicken" how that goes. Imagine if you will, the morning of game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final or the World Series, say 0300 hours, all the players from both teams are dragged out of bed to provide pee and blood samples. Then a week after the series is over, the results come back and one player from the winning team comes up positive for a banned substance. The Championship team is then stripped of its win, and the runner-up/loser is given the win. Kinda blows if you ask me, but that's how it works in cycling.

So what does this all mean for the UCI and pro cycling? I don't know yet. The UCI and WADA will probably investigate, but AC is cleared to race, and reported to the start line at the Volta Ao Algarve earlier today. Thanks the cycling gods that an ardent and outspoken anti-doper, Philippe Gilbert from Belgium, won the stage. Dopers suck.

Oh yeah, in other big news in cycling, Lance Armstrong retired again.

Ride clean everybody.

Canadians at The Beijing World Cup - Tara Whitten & Zack Bell

With strong performances throughout the three day track meet, World Champion Tara Whitten won the Women's Omnium (over-all performance) highlighted by a win in the Individual Pursuit. And Zack Bell finished with a silver for his efforts in the Men's Omnium too! As the Omnium will be showcased in the next Olympics, the Canadian Track team has a great chance to bring us home some hardware.

Now if we could only get CBC or OLN to cover the World Cups .....

Enjoy the ride,
Dan

Indoor Training

With all the typical early season shenanigins going on in the pro cycling world - Contador's impending suspension, Matt White getting fired by Garmin-Cervelo, the Landis - Lance continuing saga, I thought it best to talk about what we should all be doing this Winter - training for the next season.

Over the last two weeks, I have been working shorter workouts, but at a higher intensity, looking for a few power gains. However, this week I have started to ride the rollers for tempo workouts (45-60 minutes), and ride the trainer for longer endurance workouts (90-120 minutes). I alternate each day, and plan on extending the time of each workout by about 10-15% each week for about four weeks.

Based on what I have been doing, here is my training advice for this week. WARM-UP! On the rollers, start with a harder gear, but spin at a lower cadence, slowly working up to a tempo cadence of about 100 rpm over 10 to 15 minutes. This will slowly warm the legs, you'll be sweating hard, and will engage any power or strength training that you've done previously. To keep a tempo pace, go ahead and shift back and forth from easier and harder gears. Enjoy!

On the trainer, because of better stability, start with an easy gear, spinning at a high cadence 100-130 for about 5 minutes as an initial warm-up. Pop the gears down to a harder gear, a bit harder than your TT, and grind out some nice circles for about a minute. After that soft pedal for about 2-4 minutes, and then work into your long endurance routine.

Training indoors is always better with something to watch and with some company to pass the time. Try not to get too competitive if training with your training partner. This early in the year is about rebuilding your base, and slowly shedding any access weight from the winter holidays.

Some Good News in Cycling....

Everybody, this is a direct paste from the Velocity Cycling Club (my colours) web-site, based in Edmonton, Alberta....

As some of you may know, Randy Murchison (Velocity track coach extraordinaire and all around nice guy) and his son Steven will be going to Africa to take part in the Tour d'afrique this January. Steven is riding from Cairo to Capetown, 12,000 km's, and Randy will ride along for the first section to the capital of Sudan, Khartoum. They are doing this in support of Water Can, a charity that works directly on improving safe water access in remote parts of Africa.
 
The link to Steven's fund raising page is:  http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=1046707&langPref=en-CA

The link to the tour d'afrique is: http://www.tourdafrique.com/

Thanks from Randy and Steven

Let's all wish for a good adventure and safe riding for Steven & Randy

HTC on Cycingnews & Thoughs on the AC Case

A great article on Cyclingnews. Me thinks that Renshaw can manage the young brash Manixman into maturity.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/another-day-another-win-for-htc-highroad

Now the big elephant that is in the room...

AC is sitting (ok, probably riding) waiting for what is going to happen next after testing positive for "clen." For those that are not in the know, clenbuterol is a WADA banned substance that can reduce body fat and enhance immediate athletic performance. It has some extremely dangerous effects and has been linked to deaths in some amature athletes. Tour de France Champion, Alberto Contador has claim that tained meat was the source of the clen in his blood. Not impossible, but highly unlikely. Either way cycling is faced with a second Tour winner that will be soon sanctioned (the first was the dishonest Flyod Landis in 2006). Not good for our sport, however, this proves that the dopping controls work, and that no other sport is as serious as cycling in weeding out all cheaters. As Canadian cycling legend, Steve Bauer has said in the past, let's see what happens if they test all pro sports in North America like they test cycling...

Dan

TdU - Stage 1

Looks like HTC-Highroad takes the first stage, but it is Matt Goss that takes the win, and not Cav!

Andre Greipel and old Robbie McEwan round out the Stage 1 Podium.

Dan

Welcome to Richter Bicycles

Hello everybody and welcome to my new blog. I will occassionally post views and opinions of the bicycle industry, the sport, and the joy of bikes on this new blog. And maybe a good training or ride story once in a while too!

Thanks for visiting!
Dan