You can catch my “up close and personal” style of photos from the Palo Alto Prologue of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California at www.velogal.smugmug.com. It was just great to see so many of the Discovery guys with the Astana team. I was given an Astana cap and team credential and several welcome hugs from the guys. I have to say that my Iron Man, Eki, is a real class act. Thank you, Eki, for everything...And Chechu is just the best...

It was pretty laid-back around the team parking area at the hotel. The crowds of fans around the team area have steadily dwindled, around not only Astana, but all the other teams, too. The Rock Racing area was on the other side of the hotel from the rest of the team parking, and they had quite a crowd. Their wrenches are so totally hip and cool.. but then everybody around Michael Ball is. The contrast between Rock Racing and Slipstream is fascinating to observe, and so typified by their kits.

Also on race day, the fans packed the street to get autographs from Tyler Hamilton, Santiago Botero and Oscar Sevilla. Rock Racing had a big, shiny black Rolls Royce and a little gal who repeated, like a recording, “ Please stand away from the car, please stand away from the car”.. They also had a huge bodyguard in a black suit and sunglasses, with a hip hair style...Of course, their barbed wire protest kits generated a ton of interest and the three guys were signing posters like mad. . “Whatcha gonna do when they come for you - Bad Boys, Bad Boys” Hell - design an edgy crucifixion kit overnight and let the banned riders sign posters. Great publicity - Love it... So did the fans.

The Astana guys look real good, but they are all so disappointed about the Tour exclusion. It makes no logical sense at all. Look at how many teams since 1996 have been nailed for some kind of doping offense and still rode in the Tour the next year.. Think Festina history. Think last Tour’s Rabobank and the formerly T-Mobile team - are they excluded this year? What’s that you say? You think that that ASO knows damn well that Johan has another winning team and this is the way to stop him? You say you think that there is Revenge in the ASO cold money hearts and beady ASO eyes? I’ll be darned - who would’ve ever thunk it....

SOURCE: Trek Bicycles

Feb 16, 2008 19:07 ET
Levi Leipheimer Unveils LetLeviRide.com
Highlighted Links
LetLeviRide.com

PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire - February 16, 2008) - Speaking at a press conference on the eve of this year's Tour of California Prologue, defending Tour of California champion and 2007 Tour de France podium finisher Levi Leipheimer unveiled LetLeviRide.com, a grassroots campaign to appeal the Amaury Sport Organization's (ASO) recent decision to ban Leipheimer's team, Astana, from participating in this summer's Tour de France. Visitors to LetLeviRide.com have an opportunity to pledge their support for Levi and add their name to a petition directed at the ASO.

"With LetLeviRide.com I'm not disputing the ASO's right to decide which teams it invites to the Tour and which teams it doesn't," noted the USPRO Champion Leipheimer. "I'm drawing attention to the fact that this decision by the ASO is completely arbitrary and unjust. I had nothing to do with Astana prior to joining the team this year. There are many other teams with tainted pasts that haven't changed management or structure like the new Astana has, yet Astana is singled out and excluded. Where's the consistency? By taking action now it looks political. It looks like the ASO has a grudge against a team that can win its races. My hope is that this campaign will encourage the ASO to reconsider its decision."

On February 13th, the ASO barred Team Astana from competing in any race or event organized by the ASO in 2008. The ASO owns premiere cycling events like Paris-Nice, Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Tours, and the famed Tour de France. To justify its decision, the ASO cited the doping scandals of last year's Tour de France.

For anyone who has followed cycling's ongoing battle against doping, the ASO's rationale is suspect. Astana's entire organizational structure has been rebuilt under the direction of the team's new General Manager, Johan Bruyneel, who has thoroughly cleaned house. What's more, Astana has adopted the rigorous doping controls developed by the highly respected anti-doping expert Dr. Rasmus Damsgaard, and Astana now spends more money on anti-doping controls than any other team in the pro peloton. There's no comparison between the Astana team of 2007 and the new Astana.

"That the happenings of last year ... prompted the Tour organizers to leave Astana out of the season's most important race sounds understandable," noted Bruyneel. "However, Astana Cycling Team 2008 has nothing to do with the team of last year. We have done everything to change the dynamics of the team. New management, new riders, new philosophy. Only the name of the sponsor remained."

The ASO has nonetheless largely ignored the new Astana's restructuring efforts, and as a consequence of excluding the entire team from competing in ASO events, has stripped athletes like Levi Leipheimer of the opportunity to realize their life's ambition of competing in the Tour.
"I've trained my whole life to race the Tour," noted Leipheimer. "It's my dream to win the Tour de France; it's my life long goal."

Velogal rides again, sort of. While I won't be covering the Amgen Tour of California as media this year, my buddy, Frank Scioscia asked me to give a heads-up about local AToC events. Please volunteer for the Palo Alto Prologue - they need your help!

CHARITY CHALLENGE - BID ON THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME TO RACE AGAINST THE PROS

The 2008 AMGEN Tour of California Prologue's Charity Challenge on February 17, 2008
PALO ALTO - Ever wonder how fast the riders of the Tour de France, Olympics and Tour of California really are? Ever wonder how you might stack up against Levi Leipheimer, George Hincapie and Fabian Cancellara? This is your once-in-a-lifetime chance to test your speed against some of the world’s greatest cyclists. This is more than a backstage pass to the Pro Tour – it’s a chance to experience first hand the excitement of riding a major prologue. You will ride the Palo Alto/Stanford prologue course just moments before 130 of the top cycling professionals in the world officially kick-off the 2008 Amgen Tour of California.

Imagine your name announced by the same famous voices that will be providing the live race coverage, a photo of you in the official start house, thousands of fans (and pros) cheering you down the start ramp and on until you reach the finish and look up to see your time posted on the big screen … or perhaps even the leader board?

In this short 2 mile race of truth you will race individually against the clock. Not only will you test yourself, but you can challenge your friends, go head to head against the Mayor, Stanford’s Vice Provost and other local celebrities and afterwards watch as the world’s best pros challenge your time.
· Close quarters with the pros as you and they prepare for the race.
· Official UCI timing and officiating
· Official prologue course closed just for you
· Your name announced to the roaring crowds
· Professional photography of you leaving the start house
· Professional photography of you blasting across the finish line
· Your time announced and posted on the Video Screen
· Awards stage recognition of the fastest man, fastest woman and the largest donor

This is a priceless opportunity for every cycling fan, enthusiast and weekend warrior. Lasting only a few short moments, it will be remembered for a lifetime.

Space is limited – so the 25 highest donations made to the Palo Alto Recreation Foundation (call 1-800-341-0310 to place your bid for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity) between now and Feb 15 th at 12 noon (pst) will earn a spot to test this course. Minimum bid is $500. Then, the official ranking will be updated and posted daily. Official bidding will start soon, so check back.
Note: All donations to this event will be handled through the Palo Alto Recreation foundation, a 501 (c)(3) organization, and are tax deductible.

For those who wish to have professional coaching advice, or a fitting on your TT bike for optimum speed, consult Dan Smith in Menlo Park at Sportvelo (650)324-BIKE (2453): http://www.sportvelo.com
Need to buy a TT bike like the pro’s use? Contact Jeff at Palo Alto Bicycles 171 University Ave, Palo Alto - (650) 328-7411.
For more information about the Prologue course, check out http://www.paloaltostanfordprologue.com


But wait, there's more!

WEBCOR SAN JOSE KING-OF-THE-MOUNTAIN RIDE
The Webcor San Jose King-of-the-Mountain Ride, Saturday, Feb. 16, kicks off a week of South Bay cycling events, culminating in the Amgen Tour of California Modesto-to-San Jose Stage 3 finish Wednesday, February 20, at San Jose City Hall.

A pre-ride to the 2008 Amgen Tour of California, the WEBCOR San Jose King-Of-The-Mountain Ride will feature a tortuous ascent up Sierra Road. Riding like seasoned professionals up the breathtaking Sierra hill, the best and the hardiest cyclists will compete for honor of being King-of-the-Mountain.
Registration Site https://www.sportsbaseonline.com/Item.aspx?item_id=2076

THE RIDE

Participants will gather at City Hall on Saturday, February 16 for an overview of the morning. The ride will start at 10 a.m., with Police motorcycles leading a rolling closure north and east to the base of the Sierra Road climb.

At that point, cyclists will cross a timing pad to activate timing chips and began the Sierra Road ascent: a 3.7-mile, 1830-foot climb, with an average gradient of 10 percent.
Below is a graph illustrating the Sierra Road portion only of the ride, indicating overall elevation gain and gradient change over distance.

The ride officially ends at the Sierra Hill summit, with riders invited to continue back to City Hall. The total ride is approximately 26 miles.

Riders will reconvene at San Jose City Hall for a post ride celebration including lunch and prizes.

NEW FOR 2008!
SunPower PedalOn AWARDS
Honoring cycling club and company teams, the SunPower PedalOn Awards is a play on the cycling term “peloton,” the large main group in a road bicycle race. Riders in a group save energy by riding close to other riders. Cycling clubs and company teams will be recognized for best (top 5) times and most participants. While winning cycling clubs and company teams will both receive commemorative trophies, the cycling club with the best time and the one with the most participants will each win a Specialized Allez Elite Compact bike-a $1,200 value. When registering, please be sure to enter your Team Name, otherwise you will not be entered into this category.

THE MATTSON TECHNOLOGY CEO CHALLENGE
The Mattson Technology CEO Challenge is a competition where Silicon Valley corporate leaders and elected officials will vie for the honor of being the “CEO King-of-the-Mountain.” Participants will receive a Mattson Technology CEO Challenge jersey and an invitation to the Mattson Technology luncheon, Wed., Feb. 20, in San Jose City Hall Rotunda overlooking the Amgen Tour of California Stage 3 finish line. The male and female CEO cyclist with the fastest Webcor King-of-the-Mountain time each will be presented with a commemorative award and a $500 gift certificate donated by Undiscovered Country Tours—a premium cycling tour specialist—on the podium at the Wednesday, February 20, Amgen Tour of California stage finish line at San Jose City Hall.

PARKING
For information and location of Downtown Parking Facilities, please visit, sjdowntownparking.com. The Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition will provide on-site free guarded bike parking for the pre- and post-ride events.

THE BENEFICIARY
Over the past 20 years, the rate of overweight children has tripled, and today obesity related illnesses like diabetes are affecting children at a rapidly increasing rate and at earlier ages. According to a study released by the California Department of Health Services, physical inactivity, obesity, and overweight cost the state of California an estimated $12.7 billion a year in medical care. Proceeds from the King-of-the-Mountain Ride will benefit Fit for Learning. Fit for Learning is a program-provided by the Santa Clara County Office of Education (SCCOE) in cooperation with Healthy Silicon Valley-that addresses the crisis of childhood obesity and is a multi-faceted initiative that will increase physical activity and encourage healthy nutrition among elementary school students in Santa Clara County. Fit for Learning addresses the environment at every level: the classroom, the school, the district and community. For more information, visit www.fitforlearning.org.

TITLE SPONSOR
Webcor Builders is the largest general contractor in the Bay Area and the 10th largest concrete contractor in the nation. Over thirty-five years of serving clients such as Oracle, eBay, Lucasfilm, and the California Academy of Sciences has secured Webcor's position as a leading builder of large-scale, high-profile projects. In line with the company’s leadership position is its community outreach. Webcor Builders works hard to make a difference in the community by donating time and talents to non-profit organizations, especially those that benefit children and families. Plus, through the Webcor Cycling Team, Webcor Builders hopes to demonstrate to youth the importance of teamwork and a way to become true champions. The combination of these two strategic endeavors made the Webcor San Jose King-of-the-Mountain Ride a perfect match for Webcor Builders.

EVENT PRODUCER
The WEBCOR San Jose King-of-the-Mountain Ride is being produced by the City of San Jose, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, San Jose Sports Authority and Blue Wolf Events, a comprehensive event management and production company, specializing in cycling events. For almost 15 years BlueWolf has been managing and producing all kinds of events in all kinds of locations through all four seasons.
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