Gilbert wins Lombardy, scores an almost impossible "double"

Phillipe Gilbert(BEL) of the Silence-Lotto team benefitted from strong team work from Cadel Evans and used a blistering attack on the San Fermo climb to break away with Sammy Sanchez. He then controlled the sprint to win his second classic in a week. The nearly impossible double of Paris Tours and Lombardy in the same season has only been accomplished thrice previous. Given the fact that Paris Tours is often called the sprinters classic and Lombardy a week later is the climbers classic, its not surprising that only Phillipe Thys in 1917, Rik Van Looy in 1959 and Jo de Roo in 1963 were able to score the double. In more recent times not even the greatest of all rounders like Sean Kelly, Eddy Merckx, Francesco Moser and Laurent Jalabert could accomplish what Gilbert has done. Bravo Phillipe, great win, and congrats on finding your place in the history books. Also a big congrats to Cadel Evans, he truly is honoring the rainbow jersey just like he said he would. And to Damiano Cunego... you're starting to sound a little bit whiny, suck it up and leave the poorly chosen post race comments to Cav.

Lombardia tomorrow, Cunego looks to repeat

The annual celebration of fall in the Lombardy region of Italy, the Giro di Lombardia, or "The Race of the Falling Leaves", is set for tomorrow. Damiano Cunego of Lampre has made this race his personal playground, having scored a hat trick of wins in recent times, and he looks to have the form to win a 4th. In his way will be the new World Champion Cadel Evans of the Silence Lotto team and a host of other contenders including; Ivan Basso of Liquigas, Alexander Kolobnev of Saxo Bank and Robert Gesink of Rabobank.

The Lombardia is usually even more selective than the Worlds and because of that reason, the typical climbers usually can get away from the sprinters that can climb. This means that even though Phillipe Gilbert is on stomping form, he likely won't make it to the finish with the leaders. Another sprinter that can climb is Fillipo Pozzato, however, he no longer has to stress because he got sick and won't even take the start. Alejandro Valverde, the recent winner of the Vuelta Espana, is not at the start either due to his doping ban in Italy. Valverde is scheduled for a appeal to the ban in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland this weekend instead.

Predictions: The field trims to the climbers through attrition and Cunego outguns whoever is left.

Starred favorites:

***
D. Cunego
C. Evans
A. Kolobnev

**
J. Brajkovic
C. Horner
A. Vinokourov
J. Rodriguez
S. Sanchez
D. Martin
I. Basso
R. Gesink
M. Scarponi
J. Van Den Broeck
K. Kirchen
F. Wegman
J. Fuglsang

*
A. Ballan
R. Nocentini
T. Valjevec
P. Deignan
T. Danielson
V. Milhojevic
G. Stangelj
M. Barry
M. Monfort
K. Siutsou
S. Ivanov
J. Hoogerland

Prediction:
1. D. Cunego
2. A. Kolobnev
3. C. Evans
4. M. Scarponi
5. R. Gesink
6. F. Wegman
7. C. Horner
8. A. Vinokourov
9. J. Fuglsang
10. I. Basso

Tour 2010, no walk in park for Radioshack

The route and stages have been announced for next summer's Tour de France. Go to www.cyclingnews.com for the latest updates on the course. It appears that once again the Tour organizers were not pleased with the way this past year went. In 2009, from the beginning, Astana held a stranglehold on the other GC contenders. With a relatively long opening TT, a Team TT and another long individual race against the clock, the ahem, Kasakh outfit left little doubt that one in their fold would take the title.

2010 will not be the same. The opening tt(prologue this time) is only 8km. There is no TTT and the remaining race against the clock is on the second to last day. Given this formula, Lance Armstrong's Radioshack as well as Alberto Contador's team, whoever that might be, will have a hard time using the same old formula for victory. If Radioshack controls the race from the beginning, Contador, as well as several of the other contenders, will get a free ride to Paris. If Radioshack doesn't control the race, who will? Look for an attacking ride around France in 2010, perhaps even Lance will stick his nose in the wind a few times?

My early prediction for 2010: A wide open, attacking race with several surprises, but in the end a very familiar podium.

1. Alberto Contador
2. Lance Armstrong
3. Cadel Evans

Roggen Brown wins Severy Memorial

Durango's Roggen Brown used a strong ascent of Raoul's Revenge to break away from the pack in the Chris Severy Memorial on Saturday. Brown won the event with a time around 18:30 for the 5k. He finished by himself, cruising down the home stretch comfortably. Brown is also a national caliber Nordic racer in the winter and a sure fire talent of the future. I was unable to secure results or the names of the other medalists on Saturday, but it was a great day of racing with fantastic weather. Especially since the Front Range was getting hammered with snow and freezing temperatures at the same time.

2010 Aspen Cup dates announced

2010 Aspen Cup Nordic Series
presented by The Ute Mountaineer, Aspen Cross Country Center, Snowmass Cross Country Center

Sun. Dec. 13: Free introduction to racing / Early season training session, Aspen XC Center, Time TBD

Sun. Jan. 3: ARC/Moore Circuit Race, 9AM-8/12k classic, mass start, 10:45AM- 8/12k freestyle, mass start. Registration, S/F at The Aspen Recreation Center , 1.25 mile up Maroon Creek on the right, adjacent(west) to the public parking lot. Entry fees: Adults $15- $7 for second race, Juniors $7- 2nd race free.

Sa. Jan. 23: Aspen Pursuit Day 1, AHS Circuit Race, 11AM 10/15k freestyle, mass start. Registration, S/F at the Lower Ball Field of the AVSC/AHS trail system, Park at the Aspen Middle School parking lot about .5 mile up Maroon Creek on the left. Walk to adjacent ball field and trail system. Entry fees: Adults $15 Juniors $7.

Su. Jan. 24: Aspen Pursuit Day 2, Ashcroft Classic, 9:30AM 12k classic pursuit start. Registration, S/F at King Cabin, Aschcroft Ski Touring, 11 miles up Castle Creek, park on the left and walk to the cabin. Entry fees: Adults $15, Juniors $7

Su. Jan. 31: AXCC Circuit Race, 9:30AM 10/20k freestyle, mass start. Registration, S/F on the “Teaching Loop” of the Aspen XC Center, at the Aspen Golf Course, west of the roundabout on the north side of 82. Entry fees: Adults $15, Juniors $7

Sa. Feb. 13: Aspen Nordic Festival Day 1, Start TBD, AVSC Classic Race, see www.owlcreekchase.com for event details, 5/10k classic, individual start. Event takes place at the AVSC/AHS trail system, about 1 mile up Maroon Creek, left side. See website for all details.

Su. Feb. 14: Aspen Nordic Festival Day 2, Start TBD, Owl Creek Chase p/b City of Aspen, see www.owlcreekchase.com for event details, 25k freestyle, mass start. Race starts at Snowmass XC Center and finishes at the AVSC/AHS trails. See website for all details.

Mo. Feb. 15: Skate with the Pros free clinic, 9:30AM, Aspen XC Center, Improve you skating with the pro skiers from the Owl Creek Chase. The AXCC is located at the Aspen Golf Course, west of the roundabout, north side of 82

Su. Mar. 7: Silverboom Race, 10AM, 1/10/20k freestyle, mass start, 1k Kiddieboom to follow main event. Aspen Cup Finals, Double Points. Registration, S/F at the Snowmass XC Center, about 4 miles up Brush Creek on the left. Entry fees: Adults $15, juniors $7, Kiddieboom 1K Free

Contact: For all events see www.utemountaineer.com or contact series director Mike Trecker, trecker@utemountaineer.com , or phone (970) 925-2849 x17

Scoring: A simple yet effective scoring system will be used for all events, for overall and for age group scoring. The total number of starters will equal the first place points given, eg. 20 starters equals 20 points for first and 1 point for 20th place., regardless of age, gender, etc. Therefore, more weight will be given to those events with larger participation and it will be simple and easy to cross reference other racers in different age groups and gender. There are 8 possible scores throughout the season. A racer’s total will be the best 5 scores. A minimum of 3 starts are required to count towards the season Aspen Cup total. There will double points awarded at the end of the year event, The Silverboom on Mar. 7. Awards and BBQ will take place immediately after the Kiddieboom event after the Silverboom.

2009 Aspen Cup winners: Pierre Willie, Basalt and Natalie Ward, Woody Creek

There are some more details to work out and post on the website but at least here are the dates for your calendars.

Jason Anderson wins the 2nd annual Fall Classic, Max Taam 2nd, Tim Clement 3rd

The peloton set a brisk pace all day, around 1:30 to Glenwood Springs and just over 3.5 hours total for the round trip from Woody Creek and back including stops. A fabulous crisp day for the Fall Classic #2 and some fun, fast riding from start to finish.

Jason Anderson used a well timed move to seperate from Max Taam and Tim Clement in the final kilometer to win the second edition of the Fall Classic, a fun, club ride patterned after the Fondos of Europe. Other strong finishers were Ambre Levy in 4th, Christian Garlapow in 5th as well as Charlie Eckhart and Elliott Larson. In addition to 3rd overall, Tim Clement took the sprint competition by one point over Taam with Anderson in 3rd.

Above left: Jason Anderson takes out the 2nd annual Fall Classic, right: Tim Clement takes 3rd behind Max Taam(not pictured)

Amber Levy outprints Christian Garlapow for 4th.

The Fall Classic, Woody Creek-Glenwood Springs-Woody Creek, Oct. 3, 2009

65 miles

1. Jason Anderson, Natural Grocers, 3:34

2. Max Taam, Horizon Organic, @:05

3. Tim Clement, Ute City Cycles/DBC, @:10

4. Ambre Levy, DFT p/b Treadz, @:24

5. Christian Garlapow, Zone 4/Timberline West, st

Also: Charlie Eckhart, Mike Armstrong and Elliott Larson completed the full course, finish order unknown

Sprint Competiton

1. Tim Clement - 7

2. Max Taam - 6

3. Jason Anderson - 4

4. Christian Garlapow - 4

5. Agustin Goba - 2

5. Ambre Levy - 1

Great story on Aspen's Jessica Phillips

Here's a great story on Jessica Phillips of Aspen in velonews.com, congrats Jessica on a great season making it back to the top of the sport!

http://www.velonews.com/article/98831/for-phillips-just-making-it-to-mendrisio-was-a-victory

Impressive, well timed attack and victory for Aussie Cadel Evans

Oft maligned Cadel Evans secured the first ever World Championship Elite Men's Road Race title for his native Australia yesterday in Mendrisio, SUI. Evans used a timely attack on the last of 19 tough circuits to spring clear of silver and bronze medalists Alexander Kolobnev(RUS) and Joacuin Rodriguez(SPA). Evans then time trialed home to the finish as Fabian Cancellara(SUI) tried desperately to bring the race back together.

Cancellara had good reason to chase, he appeared to be the strongest rider in the group, first breaking the peloton into little pieces on the penultimate lap, and then, when all his teammates were used up, continually neutralizing every attempted move. That is, until Kolobnev broke free with Rodriguez and Evans. This time Spartacus had enough of pulling 10 favorites up to every move and he looked to Belgium and Italy for help. The only problem is that Phillipe Gilbert and Damiano Cunego were left isolated and in no way wished to assist the ultra-strong Swiss to the finish. That was the lucky hesitation Evans needed, and when he found himself noodling away from Kolobnev and Rodriguez just prior to the last climb, he punched it and never looked back, taking his most glorious win since joining the roadie peloton nearly a decade ago.

What went wrong for the big favorites Italy and Spain? Well, I was partly right in my predictions, Spain was a little splintered and frustrated in their efforts. Primarily, even though Spain had three riders up the road in a big 20 man chase, they still put three more on the front of the bunch. Why? Not sure about that one... Italy did have a great day but suffered when they had to do all of the work in the big chase of the day. With three in the counter, including last year's winner Alessandro Ballan, Italy was forced into an aggressive race, and they crumbled at crunch time. Specifically, on the last lap we saw Pippo Pozzato come to the fore with Ivan Basso. They set a furious tempo up the Acqua Fresca climb, but had nothing at the top when Cancellara put in another typical acceleration. Cunego was able to respond, but while Spain had three riders in the final 10, Cunego was isolated and out-gunned. Perhaps Pozzato himself would have been better in the final? I think it would have been better for Italy to keep Basso and Pippo for a little later in the final rather than spending them, but hindsight is 20-20.

In any case the World's is filled with 'what ifs', and suffice to say that Australia raced masterfully and had at least one representative for the team in the important moves as well as several workhorses like Stuart O'Grady. Congratulations to Australia and to Cadel Evans, an artful and inspirational ride, a career defining moment, and a big monkey lifted off the back of one of the toughest yet mis-understood riders on the planet.

World Championships this Sunday

Finally got to see the start list for sunday, www.uci.ch for the skinny.
Tons of people with a chance to win or get a great result, I have checked off 1,2,3 and 4 star favorites. Here's the 4's, 3's and 2's with my analysis and prediction:
　
****
Cunego
Valverde
Gilbert

***
Ballan
Sanchez
Evans
Tony Martin
Ivanov
Millar
Boom
Chavanel
Vinokourov
Hesjedal
Roche

**
Gerrans
Wegman
Kolobnev
Monfort
A. Schleck
Danielson
Brajkovic
Serpa
Paulinho
T. Lovkvist
Dan Martin
Siutsou

I see a more unified team in the Squadra Azzura than the Spaniards, just like last year. When the real, real selection is made, Spain will hesitate, leaving Cunego free to win a small group sprint from those attentive enough to jump at the right time.

1. Cunego
2. Gerrans
3. Vinokourov

I know that's a stretch for Vino but who knows, he may find the "magic" once again.

Darkhorse strongman - David Millar, GBR

Floyd into the top 20! Well almost.

When I saw the start list for the US Pro time trial championships I instantly predicted Floyd Landis' first top 20 placing of the season. Riding for OUCH/pb Maxxis, Landis, the former non-winner of the Tour de France, has had a difficult time re-integrating into domestic racing. For some reason Floyd can't seem to ride his way out of a paper bag and he has barely sniffed the top 20 all season, even in such places as Arkansas, Floyd can't ride with the leaders.

But when the start list came out for the pro tt, I knew it would happen. No, not because Floyd's form was finally on the rise, but becase there were only 20 starters on the list! It was a lock, top 20 for sure.

But wait, those damn late entries. Shit! Floyd Landis 21st at US Pro.

Wiggins publishes blood values - BRAVO

Bradley Wiggins, GBR, recent 4th place finisher in the Tour de France, has published all of his blood testing work from the last several years. Info on the exact data can be found at cyclingnews.com and I'm sure other sources as well. Wiggins' values represent a fairly confident conclusion that he is a clean rider. His data from this year's Giro and Tour show naturally occuring changes in the blood values easily and logically attributed to the demands of a tough 3 week Grand Tour, basically, they went down. Wiggins also shows a caluculation of his "Off Score" which shows a relationship with hemoglobin and reticulites.

The following is a direct quote from the cyclingnews.com story.....

- The Off Score was developed as a more robust measure because reticulocytes tend to decrease when haemoglobin is artificially high. The upper limit for the Off Score is 134; Wiggins' haemoglobin, hematocrit, and off score values were 14.93 ± 0.8 g/dl, 44.9 ± 1.9 %, and 89.4 ± 9.4, respectively, well below the cut off parameters that indicate potential artificial performance enhancement.The best indication that Wiggins rode clean is in the fact that his hemoglobin and Off Score values followed the same curve - according to the logic employed in the Off Score, if there was artificial performance enhancement occurring, the end of each curve would point in the opposite direction. - cyclingnews.com -

Given this new data I feel very comfortable that my eyes have not deceived me and indeed the peloton looks a little slower (at least in France) than it has been AND it actually is. I do love that new term, 'cleanish'.

BRAVO BRAD WIGGINS, VIVE LE TOUR

Whispers about rumors and people on bikes

Ahhh, bike racing. As soon as a major race is over the rumor mill begins to grind away...... Have you heard anything about Wiggins going to Sky? Did you hear that Hincapie and Lance have a new deal? I heard the AFLD may have some trouble on the boil...... Wait, what was that last one? What did you hear? Oh nothing, just whispers about a possible thing about that one guy that's really fast. But you didn't hear it from me. Didn't hear what? Exactly.

Tour wrap - Stage 1 of 2010 Tour was fun

After three weeks full of drama the 2009 Tour feels more like the first stage of next year's race, than an event in and of itself. The internal struggle of the Astana team was of course at the forefront of events, but there were plenty of side stories as well. Here's my lasting impressions:

Lance Armstrong has been great for the sport of cycling. Regardless of what you think of the man, cycling is more important now than ever before and that's largly because of Big Tex.

Alberto Contador may be a great champion but he's still very immature and has much to learn. Look for Lance himself to be dishing out the lessons next July. El Pistolero shot off his mouth and his little toy gun plenty but many of those shots were backfires that we won't know the full affect until next summer.

Garmin and Columbia-HTC and in an all out battle. We saw plenty of fireworks from these two teams throughout France and the rivalry is just beginning. There are many questions surrounding these teams, will Wiggins, Millar and Cavendish all ditch for the Sky team out of Britain? Will Hincapie leave Columbia to go back to Lance and Johann? Will Vaughters really try to sign Alberto Contador into the squad and if so, does that mean the end of Christian Vandevelde's chances as a GC rider?

The Team Time Trial is a critical event. We can see from this year's race that Cadel Evans and Carlos Sastre, without a good TTT, were left adrift with no hope of returning to the front of the GC. Should Contador try to build a team around him ala Lance, he will have a hard time finding the firepower it takes to contend in the TTT and ultimately the Tour. ASO, the Tour organizers, now find themselves in an orchestrating position of deciding two options for two greatly different champions. The 2010 Tour without a TTT will favor Contador, however if ASO brings the TTT in for 2010, look out for Lance and the new Radioshack team to dominate next year's race.

The Tour is as popular as ever. The crowds in France this summer were massive and it made the event even more dramatic. Aside from the transgressions from a couple kids who used a pellet gun to shoot at the peloton, the crowds were largely well behaved.

The pressure of the AFLD and ASO in their fight against performance enhancement, has slowed the Tour to a more human level. This year's Tour looked better than last summer and looked better than the Giro from this spring. Danilo Diluca got busted for EPO in this Giro, what really? You don't say.... Meanwhile I didn't really have to yell at the TV for riders to breath, there was more pain and suffering in this Tour than I've seen in awhile. Quite a bit less robotic racing and that's definitely a good thing.

I'm looking forward to next July already. I am having less withdrawls from this year's Tour while really anticipating next summer. The Tour organizers really put on a great show and the sport seems to me to have stabilized a little. To coin a term I heard recently, bike racing looks fairly 'cleanish' to me right now, at least in France, and I'm more happy because of it.

And what about my picks? Well, not too bad. I hit Contador and Lance dead on in 1st and 3rd, and although I had Andy and Frank Schleck in 4th and 7th, those were two pretty good picks as well. My big surprise, just like everyone else..... Brad Wiggins, wow!! Way to go on that Tour! Congrats!

That's about it for today. VIVE LE TOUR!!

Immature Contador isolates himself and puts team at risk

Today's stage saw more spectacular racing in the Tour de France highlighted by Alberto Contador's risky acceleration near the top of the Columbiere climb. Contador instantly dropped his teammate Andreas Kloden and isolated himself against the two Schleck brothers. Although he's the fastest climber in the race, the young Spaniard has plenty to learn about bike racing. This latest transgression is sure to fuel the fires of vengence by next summer when Lance and Kloden look to put Contador in the corner for his mis-behavior.

Max Taam doing well in Wisconsin/Illinois Superweek

Max Taam is still upping his game and looking good, last night 8th place in the Evanston Crit at Superweek. Right in there with the heavies like Sulzberger and Cantwell. Good job Max.

Dave Z. cutting George H. out of Yellow

I know there have been alot of comments about yesterday's stage into Briancon and Hincapie's loss of the yellow jersey by a scant 5 seconds, and, who's fault was it. Hincapie partly blamed Astana, while much of the venting has fell on Garmin. Let's get personal..... I'm with Lance on this one, Astana was setting a false tempo to prevent massive time gains like 15 to 20 minutes, which would certainly make Hincapie nearly as dangerous as Pereiro a couple years ago. When the gap went out to 8 minutes AG2R took over, and when they flailed is was indeed Garmin drove to the finish. And to be exact, it was Dave Zabriskie, front and center, driving it like a mad man. Now you can call that protecting Wiggins or whatever, NOT. Dave Z. was not on the wing, in the wind protecting Wiggins, he was at the top of the arrow head, down low, giving it all he had. Now that's personal. And it cost Hincapie yellow.

Another side of the story: Hincapie certainly knows how to cry and complain and look around for help from the others in the group. Whether it's L'enfer du Nord or Le Grand Boucle, Hincapie can be seen looking around and gesticulating, and for all his complaining, he could have saved those 5 seconds himself.

Tomorrow starts the Tour for reals

Andorra - Arcallis. The last time the Tour finished on this HC climb, the youthful Jan Ullrich rocketed away from all of his rivals to win solo and signal the start of a new era. Tomorrow starts the Tour for real and by the end of the day we'll have a pretty good idea who will finish in the top ten in Paris. In the meantime, Bradley Wiggins of the Garmin Slipstream team, has posted that he heard some news tonight that will shock the cycing world when the press gets ahold of the news. Uh Oh, looks like all the favorites might not even get to start. Get up early tomorrow folks and check your news, there may be some crap in there.

2 picks destroyed, Menchov and Pellizotti left their form in Italy

So much for the big talk and dreams from two of the Giro podium finishers a month ago, Denis Menchov and Franco Pellizotti were both shattered yesterday in the opening time trial. Menchov in 53rd and Pellizotti in 61st and both lost so much time that it will take an amazing team situation to put either back in contention. So much for overall Giro contenders doing well in France this July. On the other hand, Astana looks unbeatable with 4 riders in the top ten and a plethora of tactical choices at their disposal. Looks to me like it will be impossible for another team to win the overall, and by the way, look for Astana to take the team comp as well. Bruyneel could use all the props he can get by the end of July, he'll need the publicity now in order to secure the best situation for him and his team in the off season.

TOUR PICKS

TDF top 10 unless someone from this group gets popped or hurt in the next 12 hours.

1. Alberto Contador, Astana
2. Cadel Evans, Silence Lotto
3. Lance Armstrong, Astana
4. Andy Schleck, Saxo Bank
5. Carlos Sastre, Cervelo Test Team
6. Denis Menchov, Rabobank
7. Frank Schleck, Saxo Bank
8. Franco Pellizotti, Liquigas
9. Levi Leipheimer, Astana
10. Roman Krueziger, Liquigas

Side notes: Lance takes the opening TT and the jersey to get a good publicity splash right off the bat. Contador will be clearly the strongest rider, not only on Astana, but in the whole race. Thus, Lance will stay close in case Alberto suffers or crashes out while Kloden and Levi do the bulk of the pacing. Evans will remain a very solid rider that lacks the panache to win. Saxo's powerful brothers Andy and Frank will come up just short. Carlos Sastre, the defending champion, will not have the benefit of such a strong team as he did last year but will make the top 5 in his second GT in a row.

Greipel - Henderson - O'Bee in Philly

Congrats to me. Picked two of the top three in Philly and won the over/under on the 65+/55+ women's field at City Park.

Philly Classic
Columbia came, saw, conquered. Henderson launched Greipel for the W and had enough left to hold on for 2nd. I could see this coming also as Henderson is a former winner of this event and loves the course. If I had the guts I might have scored the exacta. Jonathan Cantwell ended in 14th, not too bad either.

City Park
Sure enough, eight 65+ men and only two 55+ women in that prime 4PM slot yesterday at City Park. The over/under was 10. If you had 11 or more, you lose. Didn't think it would be that close but I'll take it.

Side note: Not only did City Park not have a Pro race this year, the 2/3's race they did offer got screwed up anyway. Somehow the lead moto neutralized the field on the last lap of the 75 minute race without proper instructions from the officials at the finish, who wished to continue and score the race. Granted, strong wind and a bit of hail were mitigating factors that led to the confusion. However, when the lead moto yellow flagged the race, he was mistaken. Not sure the gap in communication but needless to say, those 2/3's racing weren't too happy to do the entire race only to have it shut down on the last lap and roll across the line like a tour. Perhaps this is the new way for Colorado promotors to stash a little extra cash. I'm sure they weren't refunding any entry fees after the fiasco and also withholding the prize money on offer. Congrats City Park, better luck next year, if there is one.

Philly Classic this Sunday

The most important one day cycling race in the U.S. is this Sunday, The Philadelphia Classic. Follow cyclingnews.com for live updates.

My top three picks:

1. Andre Greipel - Columbia
2. Kirk O'Bee - Bissell
3. Johnathan Cantwell - Fly V Australia

The short of it: Columbia is totally stacked with Greipel, Bernard Eisel, Greg Henderson and Edvald Boassen Hagen, there is virtually no way they can lose this race. Expect a Columbia controlled race and a small bunch kick of around 20 riders. Greg Henderson launches Greipel to the win with 200 meters to go as O'Bee and Cantwell are best of the rest.

History at City Park

Well, it's history, but not the kind I would prefer to report. This weekend at the annual City Park Criterium, there will be no Pro 1/2 race. NO PRO 1/2 RACE! Yes indeed, for the first time that anyone can remember, perhaps the first time in the history of the great State of Colorado, perhaps the country, the fastest racers will not be invited to participate.

What has the ACA been up to? An absolute travesty at best. In place of the traditional Pro 1/2 race, City Park will host a 2/3's race, no Pros and no Cat 1's, unless they're older than 35, will be allowed to race. I absolutely cannot believe this turn of events. And in the feature position, 4PM start for the Men's 65+ and Women's 55+ 40 minute race. WHAT? Is that going to be a combined field of 6?

Here's the bet, the over and under for participants in the 4PM 65+, W's 55+ race is 10. If you want to pick 11 or higher, I'll take 10 and under. Give me a call, I'll take your money.

Blaaaagggghhhh, what a yoke mang.

Young Colorado cyclists shine

Here's a little more on the junior development of cycling in Colorado. Just this past weekend at the North Boulder Park Crit several young racers proved that development in this state is still cranking along despite the fact that there is very little quality junior racing. Here's a story published by cyclingnews.com:

Young racers shine in Boulder
By Bruce Hildenbrand
A bit of history met the next generation at the Excel Sports Boulder North Boulder Park Criterium held Sunday May 18th. Back in the 1970s and 1980s the Red Zinger and Coors Classic used the North Boulder Park venue to showcase and launch the careers of such racing icons as Davis Phinney, Andy Hampsten and Steve Bauer. While Ian MacGregor (unattached) and Gina Grain Webcor Builders) won the pro events, it was the youngsters who stole the show at the 2009 edition of the race.

13-year old Michael Dessau of Jonathan Vaughters' Team 5280 development squad was clearly the class of the field in the Men's Category 4 event grabbing a number of primes and ultimately outsprinting riders over twice his age to take the victory. Not to be outdone, 15-year old Yannick Eckmann (Team 5280) soloed off the front halfway into the 60-minute Men's Category 3 race and held off the entire field for a very convincing win. Yannick's 17-year old brother, Robin (also with Team 5280), finished 6th in the Senior 1/2/Pro race.
On the women's side, 16-year-old Maddie Godby (Rocky Mounts/Izze Racing) won the Category 4 race. Her 14-year old brother, Zane (Team 5280), was third in the Men's Category 4 race behind Dessau.

Boulder and the Colorado Front Range has had a long history of producing 'Senior Slayers'. Current phenomena Taylor Phinney, Peter Stetina and Danny Summerhill have all recently distinguished themselves on the world and national stage. It appears the supply chain is well-stocked with a fresh crop of riders to keep the flow of talent going strong.

This just in: Taylor Phinney has won the prologue of the Fleche du Sud in France, a top stage race for U23s and it was Phinney's first win in the new colors of the Trek/Livestrong team.

Here's the thing about Colorado junior cycling, it's all about family. Many junior riders attend races that their Dads or Moms or both are doing. The juniors in turn get to ride some smaller races and when they're big enough (not old enough), they're thrown to the wolves, in this case, the Cat 4s and 3s. If these kids can prove themselves against aggresive racers sometimes twice their age or more, well, they're ready.

Contrast this to junior cross country ski development where the junior coaches are virtually afraid to have their fragile little juniors racing against seniors ever. With juniors in skiing it's all about fun, it has to be because the coaches and parents have to virtually bribe their kids to go into skiing. See, in skiing it's all about participation and having a good time. That's there in cycling also, but for sure the emphasis is much more on winning, winning at any and all levels.

The proof is in the results. Junior cross country skiing development- Peer driven, major money spent on a nation wide development and competition program that doesn't work(JOs), millions of dollars spent with no tangible accountability or results, all of the top juniors showed themselves more at Senior Nationals than at Junior Olympics. Junior cycling development - Family driven, conservative money spent on training and racing opportunities against tougher competition that produces top international racers year after year with tangible results multiple times a month.

We as cross-country skiers are constantly whining about the cost for juniors and their families to participate, well, how bout we start spending less money and start training more. That's right, I said the junior skiers aren't training, that's because the sport is driven by the social aspects, the kids care much more about their friends and going to Junior Olympic Prom than they care about training and racing well. Time for a revolution in U.S. Nordic skiing, dump the JOs down the drain and let's focus our junior development regionally. This needs to be the main focus, less travel, more training. A state championship costs way less and is just as inspiring, how do you think running is successful?

Sports Tidbits

The Killer Diluca at Il Giro
Former Giro champ Danilo Diluca is on fine form and is currently dominating the Giro. That could all change tomorrow with a 61km individual time trial, which Diluca isn't the best at. Poised to challenge Diluca are quie a few time trialists that can climb well and are close enough to look at. Leading these are Denis Menchov, perhaps the best climber of the challengers, the others are Michael Rogers, Levi Leipheimer and Ivan Basso. Universal Sports network has been covering the Giro both on the computer as well as on cable tv. Make sure to check the coverage tomorrow and see how things shake out.

Tejay in Europe
Coloradan Tejay Van Garderen, who is currently residing in Holland and racing for the Rabobank Continental team, won the French stage race the Tour of the Haut Anjou which finished on May 10th. Van Garderen used a strong opening stage in which he finished second to put himself into contention for the overall and he took third the next day in the individual time trial to put himself into the lead. With the strong Rabo Conti team at his disposal, Van Garderen was able to defend the lead and take out the overall victory. More young Colorado fire power getting ready to conquer Europe. With the likes of Taylor Phinney, Peter Stetina, Daniel Summerhill and so many others, Colorado continues to show the way for American bike racing. Too bad the local event organizers and the ACA can't step up to the plate quite as well. There's just not enough great events in Colorado any more.

Armstrong pumps up Ritter
It was curious to see a press release in the papers last week from Colorado Governor Bill Ritter. What made it interesting was the fact that Lance Armstrong had called Ritter to express concern and interest in helping to re-vitalize the flailing Colorado cycling scene. The days of the Coors Classic are long gone and Armstrong was looking to get something going. The interesting part was that the press release indicated that Lance had called and wanted to talk. Hhhmmmm, Ritter release a statement to the press that basically said, "Lance called me, wow that's sooooo coooool." Right on Gov, it is cool.

Tiny Crit courses
This past Sunday saw the traditional North Boulder Park Criterium which takes place at the former finish of the great Coors Classic. Many years of summer fun were highlighted by the raucous party at North Boulder Park as the likes of Davis Phinney, Greg Lemond and Bernard Hinault did battle around the quaint venue. Today's event bares little resemblance to the old race however and today's version is coming under substantial scrutiny. It seems the course is just to tight and short to provide a proper test. One racer who finished the Pro 1/2 race towards the back of the 31 strong lead group commented, "I spent the entire day trying to move up, I had a teammate in the front but as hard as I tried, I never saw him and could never do anything to get to the front, the course was just to tight to get up there." Come on Colorado promoters, enough of the 1km, twisty crit courses. People don't want to pay $30 to come out and line up on the front line out of panic and fear and race single file for 15 minutes until they get dropped or crashed. Then, if they made the selection, they can look forward to a backpack or gift certificate for a prize. Awesome. Seriously, it can be better, stop doing just the minimum, stop being lazy and provide a great race, not just a "race".

Aspen Weekend
The Independence Pass hill climb on Saturday and the Aspen Criterium on Sunday has turned into one of the best bike racing weekends in the state. Even though these are both un-sanctioned events, the lameness of both the ACA and the USAC make the Aspen weekend a refreshing, less stressful experience. Remember next May when considering where to race, consider coming to Aspen, lodging is cheap that time of year, the weather is great, the Pass is still closed to traffic and the downtown crit is fun, exciting and fast. Next spring make it Aspen.

SHANE MCCONKEY - MR. INCREDIBLE

It's been a month since the death of Shane McConkey and in that time I've thought about him more than in the previous 19 years combined. What? Yes, 1990 was 19 years ago.

Shane was a friend of a friend as they say, Mike Jaquet was the friend. Mike and Shane were cut from the same cloth, 2 of the craziest guys that I knew. We hung out a little in Boulder after they were both kicked off the ski team. Or did they quit? I can't remember. It doesn't matter.

What I do remember is that nudity in public got them both in trouble on more than one occasion. Jaquet was on the Nordic team and Shane was on the Alpine. I was coach of the Nordic Devo team and worked with Mike quite a bit. He excelled at skiing but couldn't quite focus enough to make the Varsity. One day Jaquet started taking roller skiing to the next level and his nude training in the quaint subdivisions north of Boulder got our squad banned forever. He must have learned that stunt from McConkey. I remember Mike introducing me to Shane at their place and Shane had an air about him that said, "Nice to meet you man, now we're buddies for life". Incredibly refreshing and uplifting, little did I know that Shane would turn out to be Mr. Incredible on skis. I never saw him again after the Boulder days but I followed his exploits from afar. I didn't know him well but I knew if we ran in the same circles we would have been great friends.

When I heard of his death it hit like a bolt of lightning. Believable but unbelievable. Damnitall! Since then I have learned more of his amazing ski career, his product developments, the founding of the International Free Skiers Association, SaucerBoy, and of course the jaw-dropping stunts.

Rest In Peace Shane, I'm honored to have known you.

For those that don't know Shane, google - Shane McConkey tribute - and enjoy. Also check out his many films, it's absolutely mind boggling how far he took it.

Longo and go and go and go takes another W

50 year old Jeannie Longo of France, arch rival of Connie Carpenter in the 80's, took yet another big win today in France. Coming in 53 seconds ahead of second place, Longo scooped up her 5th Trophee des Grimpeurs (the Climber's Trophy). She is also expected to defend her French national time trial and road championships in late June. The legendary French rider who has made plenty of enemies in the peloton over 3 decades has more than 1,100 victories to her credit.

Local bits
Roaring Fork Valley has a group of talented racers competing in Silver City, NM at the Tour of the Gila this weekend. Max Taam sits in 9th overall in the Men's Cat 2 division, Jason Anderson is 22nd in the 3's, Amber Levy is 52nd in the women's Pro 1,2, Chip Chilson is 36th in the men's 40+ and Annie Gonzalez is 3rd in the women's 3/4 race.

Kentucky Derby
I know you won't read about horse racing here very often, but yesterday's Kentucky Derby was one of the most fun races I've been entertained by in awhile. Jockey Carl Borel, a semi-toothless Cajun with energy and spirit in excess, piloted Mine that Bird perfectly along the rail to win going away on a muddy track by over 6 lengths. The 50-1 long shot was pinched immediately at the start and Borel held back and dropped into last place. Asked later when he thought he had it won, he amazingly replied "by the 3/8's pole, if I could navigate through I knew we'd do it".

Borel, who guided Street Sense to the win two years ago in similar fashion, hugged the rail until the home stretch. He slid into the open to go around a slower horse and then back onto the rail and opened it up. Mine that Bird responded with full gas and sprayed the rest of the field with mud as he ripped to the line. Overhead camera shots showed the true speed difference, Mine that Bird made the rest of the horses look like they were in the wrong event, speeding by like the agro driver in the fast lane. And once the race was over the real fun started. I'm not sure I've ever seen a more happy victor than Carl Borel. I witnessed his win two years ago on Steet Sense also, and this jockey seems to have it dialed in. Perhaps any other jockey would have failed in taking a 50-1 from last place, guide him along the rail through traffic and finish off the deal. An amazing event for sure.

Davide - "I was just bein Rebellion" tests positive for CERA

Davide Rebellin and Stefan Schumacher aka Mr. Big Head, have both tested positive for CERA at last summer's Olympic Games. These test results came after retro-active testing was conducted due to the new discovery of a test that was successful.

Rebellin won his third Fleche Wallone last Wednesday and was trumpeted with fanfare around the globe, but now all comes crashing down. Schumacher, who has consistently denied any wrong doing, now plays an updated version of Tyler Hamilton, sticking to his story until the bitter end with mountains of evidence against him. Good luck with that Stefan.

Bummer for Rebellin who has long been thought to be clean, at least until he pulled the Amstel- Fleche-Liege triple a few years ago. Because of that amazing week, D. Reb. began to lose his Mr. Clean image, and now he's in the trash. He will certainly lose his Olympic silver as well as all of his other victories between then and now, he is 37 years old and is most certainly done for good. So long D Reb, it was fun, I guess.....

Legendary coach John Caldwell speaks on doping

Thanks to a lively discussion on fasterskier.com on the subject of doping in cross country skiing, we have heard an incredible and inspirational story by legendary U.S. Nordic coach John Caldwell, patriarch of the East Coast Nordic scene. For the entire thread go to fasterskier and click on the story "The U.S. Doper Problem" by Zach Caldwell, one of the younger Caldwells from Putney, VT.

On fasterskier John Caldwell relates his first going to Europe as a rookie ski coach with the U.S. Ski Team ....

15 caldxski - Apr 18, 2009 at 7:00 am

I first went to Europe as a rookie coach in 1966 when I headed–all alone– the FIS Team to Oslo. We had five guys. Women weren’t on the scene. We had a manager, no doctor. We shared a fairly crappy, old rooming house with the Russians. The Cold War being in the Norwegians’ minds, they said they did not want to appear to favor either country at these championships and so we both got the least good accommodations in town. It worked out well for us because the Russians shared their staff with us, especially their masseur, who gave all the guys massages.
Some of the team had raced in Europe before and so before the first race I asked them who they wanted splits on. One or two wanted splits on their teammates and I knew we were in trouble. I told them we didn’t come to Norway to race each other and so we eventually settled on the East Germans. It was a good match-up and along the way we got to know some of their team, guys like Klause and Grimmer.


Two years later we went to Grenoble for the Games, same splits, same two teams basically, and we weren’t embarrassed by the DDR. Then came Czechoslovakia in 1970. Again, basically the same two teams, figuring on the same splits. First race I’m out on the course and in checking my first split I thought my watch was screwed up or I figured on the wrong start time for someone. Next split, worse! It didn’t take long to figure out that we were being totally outclassed by the DDR guys.

After that race I skied around the stadium and talked to a bunch of coaches that I knew well by know, using my best fractured German, “Was gibt mit DDR?” To a man they all looked around to see who was watching, then rolled up their sleeves and pretended to do an injection.
So there it was, right out in the open. Naturally, there had been rumors long before, years before in fact, not just about the DDR, but other countries as well. But here the jump in results was so startling as to give the game away.

I’ve always figured there at least three things we can do about the drug scene in skiing. We can try to adopt it, but I know of no one who would favor that. I surely don’t. Next, we can wimper about it and use it as an excuse and sort of give up. Well, that’s never been my forte. Finally, we can take advantage of it, get a bit pissed off and work like hell to beat the cheaters. This is clearly what many other countries have done. The doping actually raised the bar for cross-country racing. How to beat the cheaters is I think what Zach was talking about. Unfortunately, too much of the discussion has degenerated into who’s doping, what good results are, how good our skiers really are, and so on.

Until I’m convinced that our skiers are training harder (especially more hours) than I think they are AND that they have learned to ski technically well, I will consider statements about our prowess, about our having some of the best skiers in the world but they’re being pushed down the ladder by the dopers, etc., as self-defeating. This sort of talk sounds too much like an excuse. Are we accusing the Swedes and the Norwegians of doping? They generally trounce almost all our skiers. How about Babikov, Kershaw and Harvey of Canada? These guys doping? I doubt it and so we should ask what the story is here instead of talking about doping. How are these skiers doing it?

We can get into arguments on what constitutes good results, so let’s look at our US distance skiers, men’s division. (Most of the world focuses on these skiers, while we in the US have focussed on the sprints of late.) If there’s anyone in the US who can hold a candle to Kris Freeman, I ‘d like to meet him. The rest of our field is distant! We need to ask ourselves why we don’t have more Kris Freemans. (His medical problems may actually help him better focus on big event races since he’s into the business of listening to his body. Someone suggested Zach supply info on Freeman’s training program and I think most of us know that has been forthcoming, almost to the point of boredom.)

We can go back–and I know you younger folks hate this–to around 1982, long after acknowledged doping was taking place and look at the club of Caldwell, Galanes, Koch and Simoneau. If these guys were doping–they were all in the Red group–it sure fooled me and would have to be classed as the most successful, undiscovered drug program in the world. The team didn’t even have a doctor along on their trips to the WC events and to the FIS in Oslo in 1982.

The same question comes up again–how did these guys do it? I can tell you that they trained damned hard and skied damned well and knew how to get up for races. After we can get our skiers into this mode we can start paying attention to less important items which often deflect us too much these days, such as equipment, waxes, pole lengths, proper clothing, levels one through five or whatever, charts, graphs, pulse rate monitors, snow conditions, specialty events, doping, etc. Yup, sounds old-fashioned and that’s exactly what it is. But it works.

John Caldwell

From Fasterskier.com

Wow!! This has to be one of the best stories I've ever heard and I really have to thank Mr. Caldwell for being so forthcoming with this and thanks to the fasterskier web site for providing the forum. Well done.

Tyler Hamilton down and out

Citing advancing depression, Tyler Hamilton admitted taking an over the counter, natural hebal anti-depression remedy which contained the steroid pre-cursor DHEA. Hamilton has subsequently retired from the sport of cycling which brought so much fame and fortune as well as the tainted Olympic Gold medal he won in Athens. How far the mighty have fallen. Hamilton, once the Golden Boy of American cycling, now leaves as the disgraced shadow of his former self and the reigining U.S. Pro road champion, a title he will be unable to defend.

Doping scandal simmers in Austria

Of course it's a doping story, duh.

Several interconnected events in Austria have led investigators to believe that a clinic called Human Plasma was the center for a grand doping scheme used by several top athletes in Europe over the past decade. Fasterskier.com is reporting that Human Plasma was used as the main facility for Austrian cyclist Bernard Kohl as well as cross country racer Christian Hoffman and several other named athletes. The controversy has been confusing as several reports have been deemed erroneous yet investigators continue to expose a giant mess about to unfold. Stay tuned for another summer of ugliness on the doping front.

Dopeheads still rule results page

Although the sporting world seems more fair and down to earth than the last decade, the dopeheads are still at the top of the results page more often than not. Just because Le Tour has busted some big names recently and the pace seems more "real", don't think that doping has been eradicated. Recent positives including 3 Russian biathletes, Russian XC racer Natalie Matveeva and the arrest of disgraced former Austrian coach Walter Mayer, demonstrate that the cheats are still hard at work. Just last week I watched the women's 30k classic race from Trondheim, NOR and I was stunned to see the pace, RELENTLESS! Now I know that you can't just "see" dopers. However, when it looks to good to be true, it often is. Gone are the days when nobody seemed to be breathing hard after the finish, having just crushed in the toughest sport in the world, but you still see it. Let's just hope that all of our American racers are on the up and up, how dissapointing it would be to experience a positive test come through on one of our new World Champs.

Kikkan Randall 2nd at World Sprint

Anchorage, AK's Kikkan Randall took 2nd place today at the World Nordic Ski Championships today in Liberec, CZH. Randall was fast throughout the competition, qualifying in 7th and winning her semi-final heat. The silver medal for Kikkan marks her first medal at a major tournament and sends a strong message for 2010.......WATCH OUT FOR KIKKAN IN VANCOUVER!! Andy Newell was also fast throughout the day in the men's competition, however he ran into trouble in the semis and failed to qualify for the finals. Newell finished 6th in the B final to end up 12th overall.

Historically Kikkan's silver is the first American medal since Bill Koch in 1982 in Oslo, NOR and the first ever for an American woman at the World or Olympic Championship level.

FREEBIRD 4TH AT WORLD'S!!

Congratulations to America's best cross country skier, Kris Freeman, who finished 4th today in the 15k classic at the World Nordic Championships in Liberec, CZH. The 15k classic is one of the most traditional of all nordic events. The roots of the event date back nearly 100 years and the 18km was included at the first Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924 and was won by Thorleif Haug of Norway. Perhaps the greatest cross country race of all time was the 15km from Lake Placid in 1980 when Thomas Wassberg defeated Juha Mieto of Finland by 1/100th of a second. Since that day the cross country officials only time to the 1/10ths.

Nordic industry rolls out the latest gimicks

The cross country ski industry, led by giants Fischer, Salomon, Rossignol and Atomic, have long been addicted to gimicky hype rather than actual product development. Witness the "Cobra Cut" from Rossi, the "Canoe Padal" grips from Swix, the "SkateCut" from Fischer and the "Dual Cap" concept from Atomic. These are all "innovations" which proved to be more hype and gimmick than actual development.

The Nordic industry is again set to roll out the latest "improvements" which are nothing more than hype. Fischer is producing a new ski for the 2010 Olympics that has a hole in the tip to provide a lighter swingweight. I seem to remember plenty of downhill racing skis with holes in the tips some time ago, and as you can see, they rarely exist anymore, if at all. Fischer claims that the ski now provides 100% swing weight efficiency resulting in energy savings. However, the claims of - direct quote from Fischer

"The Nordic Hole Ski also optimizes the skating angle of each skating stride. The reduction of weight in the tip means that the angle of each skating ski is virtually identical on each skating stroke providing the best power transfer for each stride and faster speeds."

- this statement is nothing more than drivel. The skier is still responsible for how well they ski and how consistent their "angle" is, whatever that is. Remeber that this is the company that brought the infamous "skatecut" which was rejected by the World Cup racers as soon as it came out. What happens when you ski the Birkie on fresh, ungroomed snow and all that powder is coming through the tip instead of under the ski?

Salomon also is producing more hype than actual improvements. Their new Equipe 10 Lab Skate promises new, All Wheel Drive for their skis. These claims now say that their new design puts 50% of the skiers weight to the rear of the skis and 50% to the front of the skis. This is another ridiculous statement that, while it may be true, it is also true of every other ski on the market. When a person stands on a ski, presumably in the center of that ski, half of the person's weight is distributed to the rear and half is distributed to the front. Why do these companies continue to spend on marketing and hype rather than actual development? This reminds me of the recent Mac and Windows commercials. Instead of fixing Vista, Microsoft has chosen to advertise more.

If you're looking for the Mac of skis, stick to the smaller companies that still make their skis at their home factories in Finland, Norway and Italy. I'm talking about Peltonen, Madshus and SkiTrab. These smaller factories still make their skis by hand in small batches, they have extremely high quality control and match their skis better than the "big guys". Ski development is still all about the flex and camber, not gimmicks. Flex and camber design absolutely dictate how a ski will perform, not the endless hours and money devoted to hype. If you want a ski with a long, arcing camber, and a smooth flex with no "dead spots", stick to the small guys.

CHAMPIONSHIP NIGHT PHOTOS

The Ute Crew; Justin, Becca and Sydney.


Larry Oheren and Carolyn Holland.


Gonz, Charlie and Natalie.


Casey and KDunk discuss rule changes for 2010.


Jim Finch was nearly un-defeated.


Drew and Noelle Larson cheer the season with Erik Skarvan.


Drew Larson, Salina, KS and Woody Creek, CO, 2009 Aspen Ice Bocce League Grand Champion takes a celebretory swig from the bubbly.


The 2009 Aspen Ice Bocce League.


2009 podium Drew Larson - 1st (top), Jim Finch - 2nd (left), Casey Ward - 3rd (bottom), Agustin Goba - 4th (right).


Casey Ward utilizing his curling style delivery.


Agustin Goba switched from a Mardi Gras themed pink hat to this Monty Python inspired number which brought no luck whatsoever.

Drew Larson - Ice Bocce Champion 2009

Drew Larson proved you don't have to be from ice country to be a champion in Ice Bocce. Larson, who hails from Salina, Kansas, staged a most improbable championship run, knocking out previously un-defeated and #1 ranked Casey Ward 7-2, 1-7, 7-5 and then #3 ranked Jim Finch 8-6, 7-5.

Larson, who finished the regular season 2-2 and ranked 13th, was un-flappable in the playoffs. In fact, after an initial hiccup which saw him sitting at 1-2, Larson was downright dominant. He won on the last chance qualifier night and then took out the #4 seed Natalie Ward and #7 Mike Trecker back to back. His run to the championship continued in glorious fashion on Tuesday night. Taking on the #1 ranked Casey Ward, Larson seemed to relish under the pressure while Ward succumbed for the first time. Larson took the opener 7-2, signaling to the large group of spectators that there would indeed be a challenge ahead. Ward then answered the call taking the second game 7-1, the third would decide semi number one.

Battling point for point, the two titans of the ice rolled and measured for over half an hour to tie it up 5-5. Rolling on the River Court which has some technical breaks, Ward left a small opening for Larson to score two points and close it out. Missing on the first attempt, Larson nailed the second and sent Casey to the 3rd place game. It has been an incredible run for Ward who has won the big tournament 2 out of 3 times and had never lost a match until last night.

Meanwhile, Jim (The Iceman) Finch took on the notorious Agustin Goba the #3 and #6 respectively. Finch set the tone early with his steady, rally from behind style while Goba's lucky hat proved quite the opposite, Finch 7-2 in the first. Goba then rallied just as Ward had done on the River court, taking the second 7-3. Agustin had his chances in the decisive game but once again small mistakes combined with Finch's knack for capitalizing meant no final for Goba, Finch won 7-5 to advance to the championship game and face Larson.

Goba changed hats for the 3rd place game but his luck went further down and down some more, as Casey Ward closed him out in around 20 minutes 7-0, 7-0. Just as the consolation match was finishing it's second game on the House court, the championship final was just warming up, Larson led Finch 2-1 in the first!! What a difference a championship final versus a consolation match means to the pressure and speed of the game.

Hammer and Tong, Finch and Larson exchanged blows one point at a time to a 6-6 tie in the first. There have been some great matches this season but this championship game absolutely lived up to the hype. Larson then took advantage of the moment and closed out the first with a 2 point score to take it 8-6. Finch looked to extend to match to a third game taking a small lead in the second but it was Larson who battled this time to a 5-5 tie and then again scored twice in the last inning to win the championship 8-6, 7-5.

What a season it has been! We started before Christmas and had a total of 33 players participate in league play. We had over 20 players reach the league minimum of 4 matches played and 16 then advanced to the tournament playoffs. Championship Night saw a major party and many spectators come out to cheer or jeer, and they were rewarded with an incredible night of Bocce Fever. Thanks to everyone who made this experience a reality, it was a blast. We hope to do it again next year, but in the meantime, get ready for the summer season, I know Agustin will be priming his game early this spring, so get your lawn skills together. See ya next time.

The Commish
Mike Trecker

Championship Night scores:

Semi #1: Drew Larson d. Casey Ward 7-2, 1-7, 7-5
Semi #2: Jim Finch d. Agustin Goba 7-2, 3-7, 7-5

3rd Place: Casey Ward d. Agustin Goba 7-0, 7-0

Championship: Drew Larson d. Jim Finch 8-6, 7-5

International Biathlon catches 3 Russians

CHEATERS CHEAT, THAT'S WHAT THEY DO! The International Biathlon Union has caught 3 Russians doping just prior to the Biathlon World Championships, adding to the mix of sports embroiled in travesty. Cycling, cross country skiing, biathlon, soccer, baseball, swimming, American football, track and field, and the beat goes on. Why are so many sports shackled with controversy? Because there will never be an end to athletes, coaches, trainers and doctors looking for an advantage in competition, fair or not. Cheaters cheat, that's what they do. All we can do in sports is accept that this morally questionable behavior is never going to go away and thus, never give up the fight of catching the cheats.

What the cheats don't realize is that they are robbing from themselves. If the quality and popularity of a given sport goes down because of the negative publicity, the cheats themselves make less money overall. A quality mid-level athlete in a top level sport with no controversy, such as basketball, can make much more money over the long term than a top athlete in a sport roiled in controversy. Take cycling for example. Many cyclists were making pretty good money in the late 90's and early 2000's, even rivaling entry level NBA basketball salaries. However, with all of the recent hits on cycling, even the top riders are not comanding the salaries they once were, much less the mid level riders. In that mix of top riders are plenty of cheats who tax the sport heavily as they try for the microscopic victory in hopes they will get a contract next year. These facts plus the reality of these riders taking their lives in their hands every time they inject has put a major damper on the popularity of cycling and in the overall, long term, the cheats are making less and less and risking more and more. Doesn't really show the smarts of the top athletes does it?

CHAMPIONSHIP NIGHT set for Tuesday

Tuesday night is the Grand Finale of the Aspen Ice Bocce League 2009. We have had a total of 33 players participate in league matches, 16 players then qualified for the playoffs and we're now down to 4. Casey Ward, the top favorite at 6-0 +50, will face the upstart Drew Larson while Agustin Goba will take on the #3 Jim Finch. The winners will then square off while the losers will play for 3rd and 4th. The court should be ready to go around 5:30 for Open Bocce and for the semi finalists to warm up their games. Semi finals should begin between 7 and 7:30.

Jim Finch advances to the semis after Clement loses 6-0 lead

The storm blew in just as the players were taking the court and subsided just as they were leaving. The epic weather provided a fitting backdrop to the storm that Jim Finch brought to the playoffs. Finch, 6-0, put paid to Erik Skarvan's championship hopes 7-5, 7-3 and then took on Tim Clement. Clement was a top favorite having knocked out the #5 seed Alena Gauba in the first round, and he appeared to be on the way to the semis as he took a 6-0 lead in the opening game. But Finch re-focused his energies and rallied, unbelievably, to an 8-6 win. Clement then jumped to a 4-0 lead in the second trying to extend the match, but he couldn't close the deal and Finch rallied once again 7-5 to take out the match and move into a showdown against Agustin Goba in the semi-finals.

Championship night is set and looks to be either Tuesday or Thursday of next week. Casey Ward is the big favorite ala the N.E. Patriots from last season. He has never lost a winter Bocce match in 3 seasons and currently holds a 6-0 record with a +50 points differential. Stay tuned.

Playoff scores from last night:
1st round, J. Finch d. E. Skarvan 7-5, 7-3

1/4 finals, J. Finch d. T. Clement 8-6, 7-5

Semi-finals:
#1 Casey Ward (6-0) vs. #13 Drew Larson (4-2)

#3 Jim Finch (6-0) vs. #6 Agustin Goba (6-1)

Net tightens around Valverde/ Italians link blood from '08 Tour, Operation Puerto

News has broken this morning of the Italian Olympic Commitee summoning reigning Spanish Champion Alejandro Valverde for quesioning in regards to the Operation Puerto drugs investigation. The Italians obtained blood samples from Valverde at last year's Tour de France which passed through Italy on Stage 20 and have subsequently linked the samples with blood from the 2006 Operation Puerto in bags marked in code as Piti and 18. This could spell disaster for Valverde who has had an amazing career marked with classics and stage race victories. Definitive proof is something that has eluded authorities in the Puerto case but with DNA matching Valverde and two seperate bags of blood that match, conviction and suspension could be just around the corner.

Photos from the Ice Bocce League

Here a few shots from the season so far.

Top seeds from the left, Jim Ward, Jim Finch and Casey Ward, get ready for some heated action. Sarah Schmidt and Lori Woodring spectate from the cheap seats.

Christian Crannell keeps score from press box/VIP section. Natalie Ward concentrates on an early round match against Tim Clement.