SB Nation User Blog: Sui Juris

Tour Only VDS: 15 MINUTES TO GO

Sui Juris — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:53:29 -0000

Tour Only VDS teams are due by NOON PACIFIC TIME. Go here for the competition details. Please be kind to the folks running this thing and follow the directions for submission.

Reminder: Use the tourbecco@yahoo.com address for submissions. Not the usual PdC[at]Yahoo.

Also, in case you were sleeping, Boonen's in, Davis is out. And Crashdan still won't place.

PdC Charity Work: Megabeth Picks a VDS Team

Sui Juris — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:03:00 -0000

As you were.

What About Me? Cadel Evans

Sui Juris — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:12:38 -0000

That is all.

Tour Rosters: Garmin

Sui Juris — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:41:00 -0000

Looks like Garmin will be sending:

Julian Dean

Tyler Farrar

Ryder Hesjedal

Dan Martin

David Millar

Danny Pate

Christian Vande Velde

Bradley Wiggins

David Zabriskie

What say you, Podium Cafe?

Pro Tour Coming to North America

Sui Juris — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 19:24:01 -0000

CN (among others) reports:

The UCI announced on Thursday that it has reserved two dates for ProTour races on the 2010 calendar. The ProTour Council set aside September 10th and 12th, 2010 for two new UCI ProTour races, both in Canada.

[ . . . ]

The news comes on the heels of the announcement that the Tour of California has applied for ProTour status from 2011.

Excellent news for North American cycling, this.

Philadelphia In Pictures

Sui Juris — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 02:19:59 -0000

Against the odds, the 2009 TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship and Liberty Classic took place this past Sunday. Podium Cafe was there to catch the action on film. Well, not really. It was actually caught on a bunch of CompactFlash memory cards. But that doesn't flow as well as "catch the action on film", does it? Right then, let's get on with it.

First, what you see here is something of an abridged edition. The full set is 101 photos, which you can view here as a slideshow. Apologies if that's a bit inconvenient. However, it's a choice between that and waiting for me to handcode 101 photos into this post.

As some of you may have picked up on before, I'm not Philadelphia's biggest fan. Something about its absolute dedication to making sure you know that whole "City of Brotherly Love" thing is just a very dark joke, especially when you're on a bike on Kelly Drive. That said? Philadelphia has been a most excellent host to pro cycling, and 2009 marks the 25th year of that. How many other US cities can say that? None, that's how many. So thank you, Philadelphia. Very much.

The day, from a spectator's point of view, starts with the rider sign in. The race hotel is just down Benjamin Franklin Parkway a bit, so it's an easy commute. Above, Colavita-Sutter Home's women are on their way to sign in. Request to race organizers - please don't put the women's sign-in far away from the men's again, making us choose which group we're going to get for good pictures.

Of course, this being Podium Cafe, I know who butters the bread around here. So you get the following:

Quinziato asks, "Do you like my Benna impression, PdC?"

Edvald Boassan Hagan, he is not so worried about what you think.

As you might imagine, Boassan Hagen was quite a draw for the local press and photographers, with almost everyone trying to get "the shot."

The men's call up and line up was something of a hurried affair. So hurried that the women didn't even get a real call up.

But still, a lot of world champ stripes ended up at the front, no? The big story of the women's race was the fact that - despite a 10 minute head start - the women's peloton passed the men's, which is something that had never happened in the history of the race. Colavita Sutter-Home's Tiffany Cromwell said that she quite enjoyed looking over and pointing a bit at the men as they were neutralized to allow the women to pass.

Aside from the fast pace of the women's race, however, it was a fairly straightforward affair. The peloton stuck together for the whole time, with the usual attrition off the back or out for mechanicals. It was only on the last lap that a selection broke away in the last couple kilometers to produce the resulting sprint finish.

Columbia-Highroad's Ina Yoko-Teutenberg took it for the third time, and her team was very happy about it.

They were giving each other suggestions on tactics, here. Easier to do after you've won, I bet.

After the women's race cleared the course, there were a few juniors and youth events. One, for youth in the 12-16 range, was supposed to be a race on the small 2.5km loop. They started under the same banner as the main fields, and even had a moto. Very pro, right? Well, the moto wasn't exactly pro. Instead of leading them around a relatively flat 2.5km loop, he took them onto the full course. That's right, to Manayunk. Some, it turns out, were up to the challenge:

Others? Not so much. If I could have found any of these kids, *those* would have been the interviews of the day. Aside from the photo evidence above (taken by Megabeth) that they made it out to Manayunk, I never saw them again. I hope they made it home . . .

Back in the men's race, the story of the day was Daniel Holloway's soloing for fun and glory. He yo-yo'd off the front for a few hours, occasionally joined by a single chaser, only to be swallowed up by the peloton and spit out the back.

Above, Fuji-Servetto's Ivan Dominguez drives the chase after a 3 man break that tried to escape in the final laps. As with most such efforts, it was doomed, and the peloton came back together for a full on bunch sprint.

Columbia-Highroad just drilled it. Note Greipel sitting back behind Fly V Australia rider.

And Andre Greipel continued his winning streak by dominating the sprint. It looks close, but the head on shot compresses it. Viewed from the side, you can see that he took it by at least a few bike lengths.

More photos from the day - including the sprint sequences for both races, curious professional bags & bottles, and a full selection of portraits of a certain popular team - can be viewed here.

Mark Blacknell for Podium Cafe

Interview of Philly Breakaway Holloway @ PodiumInsight

Sui Juris — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:07:18 -0000

Interview of Philly Breakaway Holloway @ PodiumInsight

This is the best interview the race produced, bar none.

Job Posting

Sui Juris — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:32:37 -0000

Job Posting

You know you want to.

Philly: Team Presentation Photos

Sui Juris — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 04:58:10 -0000

The team presentations for the TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship (men's race) and Liberty Classic (women's race) took place today. This was, apparently, something of a secret - I only found out as the result of a random email, and by the number of teams (and riders on teams) that showed up, it wasn't exactly common knowledge that it was happening even within the race. In any event, hit the flip to see some of the folks that will bring us the action tomorrow.

BMC's Tony Cruz interviewed by Michael Aisner. (via Blacknell)

BMC looking sharp.

Colavita-Sutter Home. The rest must be sleeping . . .

Danish National Team is nearing the end of their two week US tour.

Fly V Australia says hello.

Jelly Belly!

Apparently that is on purpose.

Kelly Benefits Strategies

Land Rover/Orbea presents well.

Mastering the art of sleeping upright.

Canada's Planet Energy

Kenda. You don't notice it so much in person.

Rock Racing's squad.

Perhaps they drew the Team Type 1 short straws?

Mountain Khakis present the full range of expressions (and casual wear!).

Bissell - "Thanks, happy to be here."

A National Team from, hmm, can't recall.

So Pro

Liquigas

So Pro, Different Edition

Columbia/High Road

Part of the US National Team in their Garmin U23 squad kits.

The Men's Teams at the 2009 TD Bank Philadelphia Cycling Championship

Where's my support?! (Altarum Women's Cycling Team)

Human Zoom/Pabst Blue Ribbon

Hub Racing (DC represent!)

Vanderkitten

Some of the women's teams at the 2009 Liberty Classic

Singing autographs for the fans

Chatting with some fans

Hello.

Vanderkitten checking out a Mini Cooper convertible.

Liquigas thought it looked fun.

Afterwards, some of the riders decided they'd rather hang around the race expo than go back to their rooms (real pro rider quote, via Megabeth: "They don't even have MTV!"). Seems like a great idea before race day, no?

Balance work, maybe?

. . . and Philly rides.

Philly: Race Prep Photos

Sui Juris — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:34:12 -0000

The work you see the riders do during the race is just a part of the enormous effort that goes into pulling off a race of this size. Most of the teams arrived last night, and the mechanics have been working since this morning. The staging crews started work even earlier, with most of the course railings and much of the signage being put up in yesterday's driving rain. Here are a few photos of that behind the scene work.

The work of the race starts well before the race itself.

Cooperative cleaning.

Looks like someone's been to the Giro . . .

Liquigas's rack.

Garmin here supporting the US National Team.

Liquigas' own trucks are an ocean away, but this'll do.

Fly V is a little more efficient with the space.

Mechanics are mechanics.

Support for Team Type 1.

If you look closely, there is a label that says "Not for Jimbo."

Bissell waiting to head over to the team presenation.

Still working on the start/finish.

The men's and women's team presentation for the TD Bank Philadelphia Cycling Championship and Liberty Classic also took place just off Eakins Oval. A little later, we'll see a few (okay, more than a few) shots from that. But first? Some food.