*subject to change

Pro Tour Teams

Garmin-Transitions (USA)

Steven Cozza (USA)

Thomas Danielson (USA)

Ryder Hesjedal (CAN)

Robbie Hunter (RSA)

Thomas Peterson (USA)

Peter Stetina (USA)

Matthew Wilson (AUS)

David Zabriskie (USA)

Liquigas-Doimo (ITA)

Francesco Bellotti (ITA)

Francesco Chicchi (ITA)

Davide Cimolai (ITA)

Manuel Quinziato (ITA)

Peter Sagan (SVK)

Ivan Santaromita (ITA)

Brian Vandborg (DEN)

Elia Viviani (ITA)

Quick Step (BEL)

Carlos Barredo Llamazales (ESP)

Tom Boonen (BEL)

Kurt Hovelynck (BEL)

Kevin Hulsmans (BEL)

Nikolas Maes (BEL)

Andreas Stauff (GER)

Jurgen Van De Walle (BEL)

Maarten Wynants (BEL)

Rabobank (NED)

Lars Boom (NED)

Stef Clement (NED)

Steven Kruijswijk (NED)

Sebastian Langeveld (NED)

Thomas Leezer (NED)

Paul Martens (GER)

Grischa Niermann (GER)

Maarten Tjallingii (NED)

Team HTC-Columbia (USA)

Lars Ytting Bak (DEN)

Mark Cavendish (GBR)

Bernhard Eisel (AUT)

Tony Martin (GER)

Mark Renshaw (AUS)

Michael Rogers (AUS)

Hayden Roulston (NZL)

Tejay Van Garderen (USA)

Team RadioShack (USA)

Lance Armstrong (USA)

Janez Brajkovic (SLO)

Christopher Horner (USA)

Levi Leipheimer (USA)

Jason McCartney (USA)

Dmitriy Muravyev (KAZ)

Yaroslav Popovych (UKR)

José Luis Rubiera Vigil (ESP)

Team Saxo Bank (DEN)

Matti Breschel (DEN)

Fabian Cancellara (SUI)

Jakob Fuglsang (DEN)

Juan José Haedo (ARG)

Stuart O’Grady (AUS)

Andy Schleck (LUX)

Andre Steensen (DEN)

Jens Voigt (GER)

Pro Continental Teams

BMC Racing Team (USA)

Chad Beyer (USA)

Marcus Burghart (GER)

Chris Butler (USA)

Mathias Frank (SUI)

George Hincapie (USA)

Alexander Kristoff (NOR)

Jackson Stewart (USA)

Simon Zahner (SUI)

Cervélo TestTeam (SUI)

Theo Bos (NED)

Joao Correia (POR)

Philip Deignan (IRL)

Heinrich Haussler (GER)

Jeremy Hunt (GBR)

Brett Lancaster (AUS)

Oscar Pujol Munoz (ESP)

Dominique Rollin (CAN)

Continental Teams

Bissell (USA)

Rob Britton (CAN)

Daniel Holloway (USA)

Andy Jacques-Maynes (USA)

Ben Jacques-Maynes (USA)

Peer Latham (NZL)

Paul Mach (USA)

Jeremy Vennell (NZL)

Kyle Wamsley (USA)

Fly V Australia (AUS)

Jonathan Cantwell (AUS)

Jai Crawford (AUS)

Benjamin Day (AUS)

Charles Dionne (CAN)

Aaron Kemps (AUS)

Bernard Sulzberger (AUS)

Jay Robert Thomson (RSA)

Phil Zajicek (USA)

Jelly Belly Presented by Kenda (USA)

Jonathan Chordoff (USA)

William Dicknson (AUS)

Michael Friedman (USA)

Charles Bradley Huff (USA)

Jeremy Powers (USA)

Kiel Reijnen (USA)

Will Routley (CAN)

Bernard Van Ulden (USA)

Kelly Benefit Strategies (USA)

Ryan Anderson (CAN)

Jesse Anthony (USA)

Dan Bowman (USA)

Alex Candelario (USA)

Reid Mumford (USA)

Neil Shirley (USA)

David Véilleux (CAN)

Scott Zwizanski (USA)

SpiderTech Powered by Planet Energy (CAN)

David Boily (CAN)

Guillaume Boivin (CAN)

Lucas Euser (USA)

Martin Gilbert (CAN)

Kevin Lacombe (CAN)

Bruno Langlois (CAN)

Francois Parisién (CAN)

Andrew Randell (CAN)

Team Type 1 (USA)

Davide Frattini (ITA)

Ken Hanson (USA)

Aldo Ino Ilesic (SLO)

Christopher Jones (USA)

Valery Kobzarenko (UKR)

Javier Megias Leal (ESP)

Thomas Rabou (NED)

Scott Stewart (USA)

UnitedHealthcare Presented by Maxxis (USA)

Christopher Baldwin (USA)

Matthew Crane (USA)

Marc De Maar (NED)

Max Jenkins (USA)

Karl Menzies (AUS)

Andrew Pinfold (CAN)

Rory Sutherland (AUS)

Bradley White (USA)

"All you're left with is a plaid thermos..." the wolfman

It’s good to see the Hincapie Development guys fired up about the upcoming season and particularly for the Greenville Spring Series races. I did a recon ride of the River Falls road race course and I like it. It has an uphill finish that starts off a little steep and then the gradient decreases a few degrees to the line. The one challenge I see in that course is the run-up to the climb. It is flat and straight and I can already tell there will be a lot of nervous riders trying to get to the front at the beginning of that climb. I think I’m going to do well there or blow up spectacularly on the hill. I can’t wait for that race.

I’m a big fan of new tech or new applications, but I’m still figuring out the worth of Google’s Buzz. It’s like Twitter in that you have followers and you can follow people as well. However, Buzz isn’t limited by 140 characters like Twitter so you can use it to send documents and videos. However, I’m not sure why I would use this. It reminds me of Wave email that Google came out with a few months ago. Everyone was so excited about it and were begging to get invites to Beta test it. I have it, tried to use it and didn’t know what the hell to use it for. And like Buzz, no one I know uses it. For now I’ll stick to tried and true email and Twitter to disseminate all of my socially critical messages.

Stage 6 - a buzz kill

Speaking of buzz, I was pumped when the Tour of California announced that stage 6 was going to end in a mountaintop finish in Big Bear. Finally, a stage that could do some real damage and shake up the GC! Today they rolled out the details of this Queen stage and I’m wondering if AEG heard the collective groans of disappointment from journalists and Levi Leipheimer. While the stage climbs up Big Bear, there is a six-mile flat run-in to the finale. Talk about a buzz kill! The Tour of Utah does it right with a real climb up Snow Bird and actually finishing on an incline.

While on the subject of cool things in Utah I can’t wait to see Burke Swindlehurst start racing. I’m still excited about him going solo and bucking the system. I’m wishing him a lot of luck this year. Make sure you follow him on Twitter as well as Facebook. And someone needs to start a Swindlehurst Fan Page for crying out loud!

While Burke is going solo one of my favorite Australians, Rory Sutherland, is on one of the biggest American cycling teams, United HealthCare p/b Maxxis, and he’s filming behind the scenes footage from their training camp in Arizona. Here Rory shows off the new team bus. I wonder who will be the first to blow up the RV’s bathroom. I’m guessing it would be Menzies.

Can Levi win again?

Specific route details for the 2010 Amgen Tour of California professional cycling race will be revealed beginning tomorrow via individual stage videos, AEG, presenter of the fifth-annual event, announced today. The videos have been created in collaboration between the start and finish cities of each stage (designated at “host cities”), highlighting features of the route for the eight-day event. Two videos will be released per day throughout the week of Feb. 8, and they can be viewed online at the Amgen Tour of California Web site (www.amgentourofcalifornia.com), as well as the Amgen Tour of California’s Facebook page and on YouTube.

One of the most anticipated professional cycling races in the world, the 2010 Amgen Tour of California will be staged over eight days and will travel more than 800 miles of California’s scenic roads, highways and coastline drives. Running from May 16 – 23, 2010, the race will visit 16 host cities for official stage starts and finishes, with communities along the route getting the chance to see a lineup of some of the most elite, recognizable athletes and teams in the world. Host cities for the eight stages include: Nevada City (new city for 2010), Sacramento, Davis, Santa Rosa, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, San Jose, Modesto, Visalia, Bakersfield (new city for 2010), Pasadena, Big Bear Lake (new city for 2010), Los Angeles (new city for 2010) and Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village (new city for 2010)/Agoura Hills (new city for 2010), title-sponsor Amgen’s hometown community.

“The May timing of the 2010 edition of the Amgen Tour of California is going to allow us to visit some challenging new areas of California that previously were not possible due to the weather,” said Andrew Messick, president of AEG Sports, presenter of the race. “Through these fun and creative videos that the host cities have put together, we are going to be able to showcase the challenge and beauty of our 2010 route.”

Stage-by-stage videos revealing the route for the 2010 Amgen Tour of California will be released on the following days:

• Tuesday, Feb. 9 – Stage 1 (Nevada City to Sacramento) and Stage 2 (Davis to Santa Rosa)
• Wednesday, Feb. 10 – Stage 3 (San Francisco to Santa Cruz) and Stage 4 (San Jose to Modesto)
• Thursday, Feb. 11 – Stage 5 (Visalia to Bakersfield) and Stage 6 (Pasadena to Big Bear Lake)
• Friday, Feb. 12 – Stage 7 (Los Angeles individual time trial) and Stage 8 (Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village/Agoura Hills)

Who will be working for who in California Courtesy-Al Crawford

The racing season is right around the corner and all the pro teams are counting the days till their specific race rendezvous. Taking a quick glance at the various team sites you can see where riders will be. In the case of Kenda p/b Geargrinders it’s the Tour de Taiwan in March. The Tour of Taiwan is a UCI ranked event, so snagging some early season points will make them an attractive selection for any of our domestic grand tours such as Tour of California (I actually heard that only one slot is still open for a team), Tour of Missouri (keeping my fingers crossed on that one) and of course the Tour of Utah (inside source told me they are going big in 2010). Beyond the American Continental teams is the Big Show – the teams who are assured a spot in our domestic races as well as the three European Grand Tours. Let’s not forget the Spring Classics.

For those stalking Garmin-Transitions (I’m talking about a certain group of #cyclingdivas) the team was polite enough to not only post their race schedule but also format it into an attractive calendar suitable for framing. I have mine pinned up next to my mounted talking bass. Both are great conversation starters. “Hey, what’s that? Is that a talking bass mounted next to the Garmin-Transitions racing schedule?” Yes…yes it is.

With a large squad Garmin-Transitions is splitting the squad into a Giro and Amgen Tour of California team. From a personal standpoint I’d like to see both Christian Vande Velde and David Zabriskie line up at the Amgen Tour of California. However, the Giro has been the traditional tune-up for potential Tour de France champions. Wiggins of Sky has already stated that he’s eying the Giro’s prologue and the time trial. If Zabriskie is going to have the break out year that Vaughters predicts then Italy may be where he’s headed in May. Vande Velde has contested the Giro these past two years and went on to strong finishes at the Tour, so I wouldn’t expect a change in his racing program.

One schedule that got me thinking was Team RadioShack’s race program posted on Johan Bruyneels’s Facebook page (never in a thousand years did I ever think I’d be writing that sentence). The month of May is missing the Giro and instead has the Tour of California followed by the Tour of Belgium. This is an interesting conundrum that Joe Lindsey pointed out in the Boulder Report. Armstrong had used the Giro for the high-intensity training to fine-tune the fitness. However the Tour of California has been Leipheimer’s race. There could be awkward moments around the dinner table in California if Armstrong wants to flex his racing muscle during the race and not be the super-domestic he was in 2009. And what about Kloden? It looks like scraps for him. With no Giro, the Tour of California is Leipheimer’s, the Tour is Armstrong’s – no matter what he said at the press conference, so what’s left? Maybe throw him a bone at Paris-Nice?

Wiggo - the next big thing?

I have mixed feeling about the new British Sky team. They are the New York Yankees of the cycling world buying up any and all available (in the case of Wiggins – not so available) talent. The British side of me is rooting for them and I’m glad that in these uncertain times a huge corporation has stepped up and backed a team. The a-hole side of me will enjoy harassing my father who has become a big fan of them and I will be able to endlessly mock him when Sky doesn’t win. I am gambling with my inheritance because if I piss him off too badly he might remove me from the will. However the reality is that the Browne fortune is probably no more than several boxes of empty Lucky Lager bottles and my grandfather’s old prosthetic arm, so it’s not a big loss.

While not a Pro Continental team, BMC with Cadel Evans, George Hincapie and Alessandro Ballan are deserved of a wild card entry into all the races. Their season is starting off early with the Tour Down Under and then it’s a European campaign with Hincapie, Ballan and fresh meat John Murphy. I don’t think anyone would argue with me by saying that Murph is a guy who deserves this shot. I expect to see Hincapie, Ballan and Murphy to be at the Tour of California. Evans has already decided to race the Giro as prep for the Tour. He’s going to have to be a cagey rider to do well in the 2010 Tour.

With no TTT can anyone really beat him in the Tour?

With the new year just hours in front of us the speculation has begun. Will the Giro once again be just an event the Italians battle for and everyone else uses for Tour training? Can the Tour of California become THE race to attend as we hope for drier days? Will the new super budget Sky Team be more than just an over-expensive team filled with racers and their bloated egos? Will their failure to win any significant races cause my dad to have a rage-fueled stroke? Who knows, but I’m double checking the will. I think Lucky Lager beer bottles are collectables and might be worth some coin.

Armstrong racing at the Nevada City Classic

With the Amgen Tour of California press conference concluded I have a few quick observations. Moving the race to May looks to be a wise decision. The rain that the race has suffered with the past two years does nothing for the image of a “sunny California.” Yes, there is the gamble of competing against the Giro, but there is a lot to say either way about a rider skipping the Giro to focus on the Tour. Often we’ve heard the excuses of a rider coming out of the Giro burned and not in great form for the Tour. In the case of Lance Armstrong, that might be the case. Remember, Lance ain’t getting any younger, so recovery before the Tour is paramount. Eight tough, but not overall brutal, stages could put the sharp edge onto his form before the Tour. Also, there won’t be any Contador versus Armstrong talk before the Tour. Can you imagine the media hype if they were to both compete in the Giro? I think it’s best for Armstrong to prepare away from Contador and remain a bit of a mystery. Let the mind games begin! I like that stage 1 is starting in Nevada City. It’s a beautiful town with a rich cycling history. And with the date change they can take the race into the mountains such as the case with stage 6, Pasadena to Big Bear. With 14,000 feet of climbing, this will be an epic day and it’s the Amgen Tour of California’s first mountain top finish, something Leipheimer has been wanting for all these years. A local hangout if you own a Harley Davidson is the Rock Store which is featured on the last stage. All the local cyclists know the area and I’ve hauled my carcass up it myself. It’s not a super steep climb, but after seven days in the saddle and two challenging back-to-back stages it will put the sting in the legs. However I think it’ll still come down to a field sprint. Now all we can do is wait and see who the Europeans teams will bring.

2010 Tour of California routes

It didn’t take long for the Tour of California news to become official.  Velonews has the map and stages posted. The huge boost is Armstrong’s participation. Now we wait to see if the Euros respond and send their marquee riders as well.

Until the official announcement later this morning this is what we know (or at least think we know) about 2010 Amgen Tour of California. The change in dates from February to May was an attempt to avoid the miserable weather that had plagued the race for the past two years. California is known world wide as being perpetually sunny. Images of racers slogging through rain and 40 temperatures wasn’t what the organizers were looking for. Also with the later date is more of an opportunity to head to the mountains. In February it was a little too soon in the season to subject the riders to the Sierra Madres. As of right now, Stage 1 is looking to start in Nevada City and ending in Sacramento, which means no prologue. This seems to be a sensible choice. It will be beautiful in Nevada City providing ample opportunities for photographers to snap that money shot. Levi Leipheimer let the cat out of the bag with his Twitter post, “I am confident that Santa Rosa will be announced as a host city on Thursday for the @amgentourofcali.” Other than the mayor of Santa Rosa, I think Levi is connected enough to know that the Tour of California is coming to his hometown. Another town that looks to be getting a visit from the Tour of California is Bakersfield. I was a bit surprised when I had heard that town as a potential start town. Bakersfield has always been to me a place to fill up on gas and beef jerky for that final push to Las Vegas. I’ve read that Bakersfield raised $161,000 to get the Tour to roll through Another strong rumor is the final stage will be from Thousand Oaks, the home of Amgen to downtown Los Angeles. San Diego, the mecca of cycling in California is not getting a visit. Officially the word is that because the Tour of California is being reduced to eight days it just wasn’t possible to reach that far south. However what I heard was that San Diego, while packed with fans watching the race, charged the organizers and arm and a leg to bring the race there. The classic Solvang time trial course is also not on the parcours of the Tour of California. The racers and the fans loved this stage but the residents of the Solvang, not so much. All these pesky bike riders were jamming up the street and they weren’t shopping in the local boutiques. I think the only merchant crying about the loss of the Solvang stage is the Bulldog Cafe. It’s a cycling shrine and the owner is a complete nutter for racing. Plus, she had a line out the door all day long.

The final question is, who will show up? As we all know the Tour of California coincides with the Giro, which has been the classic Tour de France lead-up race. An appearance by Armstrong puts any race through the atmosphere in terms of spectators, but with the Tour his big goal will he compromise his training to race in California? Just moments ago Armstrong Twittered that he is going to race the Tour of California. The course is going to be tougher, so that probably helped with the decision. Expect media madness now at every stage start and finish town.  Leipheimer will be there, so it looks like RadioShack is sending their “A” squad. The same applies to other big teams. Will Riis send the brothers Schleck and the rest of the “A” squad to California when the Giro is on as well. Team Saxo rides Specialized bikes, so they will feel the pressure of having to send a strong squad to represent. The same applies to Quick Step. Just keep TSA’s dogs away from Boonen’s luggage. BMC with Hincapie and former world champion Allesandro Ballan will definitely be there looking for stage wins. Garmin of course will be in attendance. However their Tour de France squad raced the Giro and went on to a strong Tour, so I’m not sure Vaughters will want to mess with that schedule. The smaller domestic teams will be battling it out not only for stages put just to get an invite. Usually for the domestic teams it comes down to politics: is the team sponsor going to have a booth in the expo, how much money can they pony up? If the team has the cash the chances of a Tour of California invite goes up exponentially. But hey, it’s nothing personal. It’s business.

I’ll be Twittering during the press conference with info so stay tuned to @neilroad. I’ve got live Tour of California Twitter buzz streaming on my web site now.

They are feeding us with Weight Watchers cookies today. I rhetorically asked is this a hint that we’re getting fat, Joe Silva, our contributor said, “Just you Neil.” Damn now I’m really depressed.

Anonymous: That’s 100 kph an hour, right?

Neil: As a rule I never drive Euro cars! If I see any kilometers on the gauges, including the speed, I refuse that vehicle. This all goes back to a rather nasty encounter I had a Spanish police officer. On the advise of council I cannot say if I was going 100 miles per hour in the V6 Highlander.

Cycle Momma: Nice. I am wearing those 2XU compression tights right now! I don’t have any bulges though.
Neil: We are going to need photos to verify that claim.
Anonymous: Judging by that extra foot in the picture, Tim is obviously very excited by the presence of the person behind him…

Neil: Tim Johnson is excited all the time. Whether it’s the start of a stage or 2:00 a.m. in a New England bar, Johnson is excited and loves to talk.

Ping Pong: Tell Tuckerman Ping Pong says hello.

Neil: I will.

Anonymous: I can’t wait to see the rest of the [Rock Racing] women’s team.

Neil: Here you go!

XXX: This blog sucks ass!

Neil: I know. Try this blog instead.