Knowledge is Power. Ignorance is Bliss.

Would you prefer to be powerful or blissful?

To be clear, I am not talking about wattage output or that first ride on a new race bike here. Although this is a good indication that the answer to the above question is obviously dependent on one’s definition of the terms involved.

To be more specific, would you rather have prestige and influence or complete happiness? See, now the question takes on a little different meaning.

“Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s ignorance.” - Confucius

All beings have knowledge thrust upon them simply as a function of experience. What we choose to do with this knowledge varies but we all come to know the world in which we live through actions both willfully taken and begrudgingly endured. Therefore, we are all inherently ignorant (happy) and only come to obtain knowledge (prestige and influence) as a result of the overwhelmingly random circumstances by which our lives are dictated.
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With Univest Grand Prix Starting Friday, and the Tour of Missouri on Monday. We wanted to let you that these racese have multiple showing around the web Check out Universal Sports for time on Univest Grand Prix and Tour of Missouri

FSN Midwest and FSN Kansas City will telecast a nightly show throughout next week’s Tour of Missouri, the world-class 623-mile professional bicycle race to be held Sept. 8-14. The Tour of Missouri Highlights Show will feature race highlights and recap each day’s results. Read the rest of this entry »

BISSELL Pro Cycling (BPC) has compiled its eight-man roster for the 2008 Tour of Missouri. The team will field the majority of their successful 2008 Tour of California and Tour de Georgia squads, an aggressive group that is not afraid to challenge big league European teams.

Jacques-Maynes makes his return to the road after a warm-up in Greenville at the USA Pro Championship road race last Sunday. That race served as what Jacques–Maynes hoped would be a final effort to bring him back to form after a near two-month respite following a crash at the Cascade Cycling Classic that left him sidelined with a broken collar bone. Read the rest of this entry »

SUN VALLEY, Idaho and SAN CARLOS, Calif. - September 3, 2008 -
SCOTT USA and Ritchey Design today announced their co-sponsorship of the Elite men’s and women’s races at CrossVegas this month. In addition, both companies will be hosting a VIP retirement party at the races for Thomas Frischknecht to celebrate his incredible 19-year career as a World Cup competitor.

“CrossVegas, held in conjunction with Interbike, will arguably draw a huge crowd of cycling enthusiasts,” said Adrian Montgomery, marketing director for SCOTT USA. “It will be an amazing opportunity to take that population of cycling fans and entertain them, as well as commemorate the career of cycling’s greatest champion and sportsman, Thomas Frischknecht.”

The CrossVegas cyclocross event will take place on Wednesday, September 24 at the Desert Breeze Soccer complex in Las Vegas.

Scott-Swisspower athletes Thomas Frischknecht and Florian Vogel will compete in the Elite men’s race, which starts at 9:00 p.m. The VIP retirement party and an informal press conference with Frischknecht will be held immediately following the men’s race in the SCOTT and Ritchey booth.

“I am happy to have Scott and Ritchey, two top brands in the bike industry, involved in CrossVegas,” said Brook Watts, co-promoter and marketing director for CrossVegas, LLC. “We are especially honored to help Thomas celebrate his retirement by helping him compete in the last race of his career.”

During the informal press conference, Frischknecht will discuss his new role with the Scott-Swisspower Team, and SCOTT USA will debut its new Cyclocross line at the event, along with the new Addict CX. The Addict CX features a 986 gram carbon frame outfitted with Ritchey’s WCS cockpit components, straight CX carbon fork and Carbon 38 wheels. Read the rest of this entry »

SAN PIETRO DI STABIO, Switzerland - September 2, 2008 -

ASSOS® of Switzerland, designer and manufacturer of premium road cycling clothing, today announced the launch of ASSOS North America.

As part of the launch of ASSOS North America, the company has added four sales positions to cover the Northwest, Midwest, and Northeast territories with plans to add more. In addition, the company has opened and staffed a warehouse facility in Chicago, Illinois to handle all order fulfillment, and will soon open a subsidiary office close to New York City.

“The North American market is highly competitive with several players,” said Roche Maier, chief executive officer of ASSOS of Switzerland. “During the last four years overall sales growth for ASSOS has averaged around 30 percent. At this point in ASSOS’ growth, we need to personally manage the sales and marketing of our products. By opening a North American office, our goal is to improve our customer service to retailers and to continue to develop a well respected brand.”

In the early 1970s, ASSOS created the first Lycra™ cycling short and introduced it to the market through the then number one ranked road cycling team in the world, Ti-Raleigh Pro Cycling. ASSOS cycling clothing is known for its comfort, performance, durability and cult following.

Illinois-based Ochsner International, Inc. helped establish ASSOS in North America and has been its contracted distributor for the past 13 years. This relationship ended August 31, 2008, and ASSOS North America will now manage all sales and marketing efforts for the company.

“We are very thankful to Ochsner for helping establish ASSOS in North America,” Maier said.

Hans Bergman has been appointed general manager of ASSOS North America. Bergman joins the company with more than 15 years of experience launching, growing and managing premium brands within the leisure and sporting goods industries.

“Over the last few years, ASSOS products have appeared in shops that didn’t necessarily fit with the ASSOS premium brand image and product availability to retailers has been spotty,” Bergman said. “We are committed to improving product availability and shipments to our high-quality, full-service retailers, while at the same time firmly establishing the ASSOS premium brand in North America.”

Pat Flanagan will be vice president of sales & marketing for ASSOS North America. Flanagan most recently was senior vice president of sales & marketing for Best Bikes USA. Before his position with Best Bikes USA, Flanagan held sales and operations positions with such companies as ZOIC clothing, In Motion Inc., and Clif Bar.

For sales orders and questions, please contact Pat Flanagan at 760-277-0398 or patflanagan@ASSOS.ch. For more information about ASSOS of Switzerland, please visit www.ASSOS.com.

While sitting in a cycling chat room watching the US Pro
Championships this weekend, it was noticeable that there still exists
a strong animosity towards Tyler Hamilton. He seems to still be a
polarizing force within the cycling world—years after his alleged
doping. When he won the stars n’ bars on Sunday, many were cheering
him on. An equal number (if not more) groaned in protest. The latter
is unfortunate. He won the race by working hard and riding
strategically. Garmin easily outnumbered Rock, and with three
“Burrito Boys” finishing in the top four, Tyler had to use
insight, patience, and a well-timed sprint to take the victory in a
photo-finish.

So why is Tyler’s name still controversial? The thirty-seven year
old rider got his professional cycling start in 1995 with an early US
Postal Service. After serving as a lieutenant to Lance, Tyler became a
GC contender in his own right with Team CSC. Here, he met with great
success….and numerous injuries. Two of his biggest with the Danish
team were in fact with severe injuries—2nd place in the 2002 Giro
with a fractured shoulder and a stage win/4th overall in the 2003 Tour
with a cracked collarbone. Up to this point, many considered Hamilton
a hero.

The next year, Tyler rode for the now-defunct Phonak team, and this
marked the beginning of his fall from grace in the eyes of many in the
public. At the start of the year, Hamilton’s hemoglobin to red blood
cell count was high—but just beneath the suspendable amount. This
same test seemed to indicate the presence of someone else’s blood in
his bloodstream, but neither of these, at the time, warranted
suspension. Then, Hamilton won the gold medal at the Athens Olympics
in the TT. On September 20, 2004, it was announced that he failed a
test for blood doping. It wasn’t until June 27, 2006, that CAS
finally decided Hamilton got to keep his medal—but that was due
largely to the fact that his second sample, having been frozen by the
Athens lab, could not be tested. Many see this as a mere technicality.
The announcement on September 20, however, followed Hamilton’s
leaving the Vuelta just six days after winning the Stage 8 TT. He had
been notified by the UCI that his two samples from that victory were
suspicious. These four incidents were enough to be sentenced to a
two-year ban by the USADA in April, 2005. He appealed to CAS a month
later where his lawyers issued the now infamous Chimera defense. It
failed, and he was banned until September 22, 2006.

Just as his suspension was about to run out, on June 26, 2006,
Operacion Puerto reared its head. A Madrid newspaper claimed evidence
existed that Hamilton had paid for EPO from Dr. Fuentes. He vehemently
denied these allegations, but a few months later, newspapers in
Denmark and Belgium published details of Hamilton’s alleged doping.
In response, USA Cycling referred a new disciplinary case to USADA.

Meanwhile, Hamilton was hired by Tinkoff Credit Systems. The team
stood by him until La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Hamilton was
one of the cyclists Spanish authorities named on Dr. Fuentes’ client
list. He was dropped from the Giro start list, and, according to his
website, Hamilton was asked to sign a new contract before he would be
permitted to ride again. He sued…and lost.

He rode as a free agent for the rest of the year, most-importantly in
the 2007 US Pro National Champs where he finished 6th in the TT and
12th in the RR. A few months later, Rock Racing signed Tyler. Though
the Tour of California did not permit him to ride, Rock used Tyler in
many races. In truth, Rock says he has more racing-days this year than
any other team member. His most important victory of the 2008 season
was the overall win in the Tour of Qinghai Lake—until today’s
victory in the National Championships.

With this history, it is understandable why some cycling fans are
skeptical. He seemed to be this great American hero. Then, all these
allegations started swirling, and many felt betrayed and confused.
It’s the “fool me once” mentality. This being said, with all the
racing he’s had this year, his tests have all come back clear.
Critics will read into this what they will. Some will feel the jersey
to be tainted. But, the fact is he served his time. What illegitimate
behaviors he may have done in the past are just that….in the past.
Tyler seems to be making an effort to come back strong and prove to
everyone that he is a great rider, capable of winning clean. Qinghai
Lake was the first major step in this quest…the National
Championships is the next. Some fans will never be swayed. Others have
stated that if he just admitted to past indiscretions they could move
on. But, for some fans, this year has been a pivotal watershed.
Without any brashness, Tyler has ridden his heart out on his bike.
This weekend was no exception. I have been to races this year where
fans have jeered for him. In response, Tyler’s just ridden harder,
letting his legs be his defence. That takes courage, and for that, he
deserves the respect appropriate to the US National Road Race
champion.

Jamie Naragon

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., August
29, 2008 –  With Tom Zirbel sitting in the hot seat, the US Individual Time Trial Championship came down to last man through the gate and a difference of  a mere five seconds.  That five second difference, however, came from defending US ITT Champion and one of the world’s best against the clock, Dave Zabriskie.

The resounding message of the day however, as Zirbel unseated the ever-strong Garmin-Chipotle team who’d put Christian Vandevelde, Steven Cozza and Tom Danielson in first, second and third, respectively, was that Zirbel – a two-year pro to Zabriskie’s nine  - can threat and win on any given day.

At the first time check of the 20.9 km three-lap course, Zabriskie held a seven second gap over Zirbel; at time check two that difference had grown to 13 seconds but at the line, Zirbel had pulled it back to within five, part of his overall strategy plan.

“I planned to go out slower so that was all working to plan when the Glen [Mitchell, D.S.] radioed up,” Zirbel explained at the press conference. “This is really one of the only thirty plus minute time trials we do all year and I knew it was going to come down to which of us would be the toughest on the third lap.”

While Zirbel recognized that the only guy to beat him on this day is “one of the best in the world and it’s a significant step-up” he had nonetheless set his goals higher. “I expected to be on the top step; I had the opportunity but I didn’t quite capitalize on it,” he said, “but I have to contribute that to Dave’s class and his toughness.  At the moment, I’m a little bit disappointed, “Zirbel added, “but as time passes, I’ll be a little bit more content.”

Finishing out in the top ten today at 2’19” back with a superb effort that had him struggling to catch his breath when it was all over was BISSELL Pro Cycling’s super domestique Scott Swizanski.  “I’m happy with my effort; it was hot and humid and the course was relentless,” Swizanksi explained. “There just wasn’t really any place to catch a breath.”  He continued, “The team support and equipment was top notch.  We don’t get to do many TTs of this length during the season, so I feel like I have a lot of room for improvement for next years national TT but I’m definitely finishing this day with a positive feeling toward that improvement.”  Twenty-three seconds behind Zwizanski in fourteenth was his teammate and 2007 U-23 TT Runner-Up, Graham Howard.

-continued-

US Pro ITT Results
BISSELL Pro Cycling

“It wasn’t an easy day in the humidity but even so the guys feel strong this weekend and it shows,” elaborated Director Sportif Glen Mitchell. “Tom’s been working incredibly hard for this day; we know he wanted that top step. But that’s bike racing, and if he didn’t want it that badly, he wouldn’t be doing his job a hundred percent. Someone has to be second but if you’re going to come in second only to Zabriskie, well, that’s a pretty awesome ride, we’ll take it and we are thrilled with his effort today.”

Thanks to AVF and Justin.tv they will be broadcasting the US Pro Cycling Chanpionships Live and you can watch it here.
Watch live video from AVFLive! on Justin.tv
Broadcast Schedule:

FRIDAY: 1PM-2PM EST – Opening Press Conference featuring the following cyclists:

• George Hincapie of Greenville, S.C. (Team Columbia) 5-time Olympian and 2-time U.S. Road Race Champion
• Craig Lewis of Greenville, S.C. (Team Columbia) 2006 Under-23 U.S. National Road Race and Criterium Champion
• Fred Rodriguez of Emeryville, Calif. (Rock Racing) 3-time U.S. Road Race Champion
• Tyler Hamilton of Boulder, Colo. (Rock Racing) 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist for U.S. in Time Trial
• Christian Vande Velde of Lemont, Ill. (Garmin-Chipotle) member of 2008 U.S. Olympic Team and 5th overall at 2008 Tour de France
• Ted King of Asheville, N.C. (Bissell) 2nd overall in U.S. on National Racing Calendar individual standings

SATURDAY: 11AM-1:30PM EST – Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Individual Time Trial Championships live from CU-ICAR in Greenville SC. Hosted by Nathan O’Neill, Pro Cyclist and 8-time Australian National Time Trial Champion. Live Streaming courtesy of Medalist Sports and AVF Creations.

SUNDAY: 1PM-5:30PM EST - Greenville Hospital System USA Cycling Professional Road Race Championships live from Greenville SC. Hosted by Nathan O’Neill, Pro Cyclist and 8-time Australian National Time Trial Champion. Sponsored by Rock Racing and featuring the “Rock Cam”.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (August 28, 2008) –Team Columbia’s Mark Cavendish of Great Britain, winner of four Tour de France stages and two Tour of Italy stages this season, and teammate and three-time world champion Michael Rogers of Australia, were announced as participants today by organizers of the Tour of Missouri, a world-class 623-mile race, September 8-14.

Cavendish and Rogers, both of whom are coming off top 10 finishes at the Beijing Olympics, come to the Tour of Missouri with major titles in their careers.  Cavendish will cap a near-perfect season of major tour stage wins, including the first stage of the Tour of Ireland this week.  Rogers finished ninth in the 2006 Tour de France, suffered through Epstein Barr Syndrome and mononucleosis the past two years, and appears fully recovered, finishing fifth in the Olympic Road Race and eighth in the Olympic time trial in Beijing.

Team Columbia, the world’s No. 1 team for most of this year, have brought these two powerhouse riders to win stages and also help two-time U.S. national road race champion George Hincapie defend his 2007 Tour of Missouri overall title.  Hincapie, who is also well-known for his long tenure (13 years) in the Tour de France, won the yellow jersey after Missouri’s stage two last year, and wore it all the way to the finish line in St. Louis.

Columbia will also be bringing Austrian strongman Bernhard Eisel, Canada’s Michael Barry, young emerging Americans John Devine and Craig Lewis, and three-time Italian time trial national champion and Tour of Italy stage winner, Marco Pinotti.

“Obviously, Team Columbia is one of the top teams in the world, if not the top team right now,” said Kevin Livingston, a former world-class professional now serving as the event’s competition director. “We’ve assembled a great field this year and Columbia’s deep roster is indicative of that quality.”

Eight other team rosters were announced, including Rabobank of the Netherlands and top domestic-based squads Jelly Belly, Rock Racing, Bissell Pro Cycling, BMC Racing, Colavita/Sutter Home Presented by Cooking Light and Kelly Benefits Strategies-Medifast.

The rosters of all 15 teams are attached. Rosters for six teams were announced earlier this week. A total of 120 cyclists will line up at the start of Stage 1 from St. Joseph to Kansas City, September 8. The line-up will include riders from 22 countries, past national and world champions, 11 Olympians from Beijing, and several winners of major international races this year.

Leading a very strong team of Tour of Missouri veterans from Toyota United is Ivan Dominguez, winner of the first and last stages last year, and Dominique Rollin, who placed third overall last year in Missouri and stage winner at the Amgen Tour of California, one of America’s biggest races, this past February.   Also coming are Ivan Stevic, World B (small countries) Road Race Champion and Australian strong man and Ben Day, who teammates are touting as an overall contender for the Missouri title.

Jelly Belly Cycling Team will bring two Missouri natives to the Tour. Brad Huff of Springfield, who ended his 2007 Tour of Missouri in a horrifying crash as he raced up to the St. Louis finish line, and Michael Lange of St. Louis, will be the only Missourians racing in their home state. Joining them will be 2007 Redlands Classic winner Andrew Bajadali, and Alex Candelario, 2007 Tour de Nez champion.

Tour de France team Rabobank, consistently one of the top world teams the last 10 years, will bring a promising young squad including Boy Van Poppel, son of one of the most successful Dutch road sprinters of all time, Jean-Paul Van Poppel.

Rock Racing brings Michael Creed, a two-time under-23 national time trial champion and part of a major breakaway in this year’s Amgen Tour of California, and Cesar Grajales, winner of the tortuous Brasstown Bald stage of the 2004 Tour de Georgia—ahead of Lance Armstrong.

Bissell will be led by Ben-Jacques Maynes, currently ranked third in the U.S. circuit, time trialist Tom Zirbel and Richard England of Australia, a stage winner at this year’s Tour de Georgia.

BMC, which races part of its season in Europe and part in North America, will be led by 2000 Olympian Tony Cruz, Swiss sprinter Danilo Wyss and 2007 Tour of Missouri Michelob ULTRA KOM champion Jeff Louder.  Long-time professional Michael Sayers will end his career at Missouri riding for BMC.

Colavita Sutter Home presented by Cooking Light has been one of the hottest teams on the domestic circuits. They will be led by Anthony Colby, winner of several races this season, and Argentinean sprinters Sebastian Haedo, brother of sprinter J.J. Heado, and the winner of the Tour of Somerville in New Jersey.

Overall, this is a stronger field than last year’s Tour of Missouri,” said Livingston, who rode professional for U.S. Postal Service and T-Mobile at the Tour de France in the early part of the decade.  “Each year, the domestic-based teams get better and stronger.  Along with the top teams from Canada and Mexico, plus big teams from Europe, it will be a very competitive field.”

Earlier this week announced were the powerful squads from Liquigas and their young stars Roman Kreuzinger, the 2008 Tour of Switzerland winner and Italian Olympian Vincenzo Nibali and Garmin Chipotle, led by American stars Christian Vande Velde, fifth overall at this year’s Tour de France, David Zabriskie, the only American to win stages at all three Grand Tours (Tour de France, Tour of Italy, and Tour of Spain), and Tour de France riders Will Frischkorn, who placed second overall in the 2007 Tour of Missouri behind Hincapie, and Danny Pate, the winner of Stage 5 from Jefferson City to St. Charles last year.

Rock Racing’s Michael Creed said: “Top to bottom, I don’t see any weaknesses. This is going to be a very good race. It’s a unique mix with top North American teams going against some very good teams that race pre-dominantly in Europe.  That always makes for a hard race.”

Watch LIVE coverage of Tour of Germany, Tour of Missouri, UCI Road World Championships and more on Universal Sports TV and UniversalSports.com
Universal Sports will be broadcasting coverage of the Tour of Germany, Tour of Missouri, UCI Univest Cycling Grand Prix, Doylestown Criterium and the coveted UCI Road World Championships all throughout the month of September. Fans can log on to HYPERLINK “http://www.universalsports.com” UniversalSports.com or tune into Universal Sports TV for this action packed series of events.

Kicking off with the Tour of Germany on August 29, fans can watch 2008 Beijing Gold medalist Samuel Sanchez of Spain go head-to-head with two-time defending champion Jens Voigt and 2007 Tour of Missouri winner George Hincapie. Hincapie, along with his Team Columbia squad, will look to re-capture his title at the Tour of Missouri starting shortly after Germany. More heart-pounding action can be found with coverage of the UCI Univest Cycling Grand Prix and the Doyelstown Criterium during the first weekend of September.

A number of cyclists who raced in the Beijing Olympics are expected to participate in these events, providing a unique opportunity for fans to see these athletes immediately after the Games. The next big target on the horizon is the UCI Road World Championships in Varese, Italy at the end of the month. Fans can find live and on-demand coverage of these world class championship events on UniversalSports.com or Universal Sports 24/7 TV channel.

For complete and updated broadcast TV and webcast schedules please check UniversalSports.com.

EVENT DATE

Tour of Germany Aug. 29 – Sept. 6

UCI Univest Cycling Grand Prix Sept. 6

Doylestown Criterium Sept. 7

Tour of Missouri Sept. 8 -15

UCI Road World Championships Sept. 24 - 28
About Universal Sports
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Offering over 1,000 live events, with more than 7,000 hours of annual original event programming including an excess of 5,000 hours of archival programming, Universal Sports delivers the content sports fans want whenever, wherever they are. Whether in front of the television, online, on a mobile device or listening to satellite radio, Universal Sports provides fans comprehensive coverage of more than 60 sports disciplines. Currently Universal Sports holds exclusive long-term programming agreements across a number of key International Federations and National Governing Bodies including the International Rowing Federation (FISA), International Swimming Federation (FINA), International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), International Ski Federation (FIS), the International Cycling Union (UCI) and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG).
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