Team Fly V Australia looks likely to join the Tour of California this season as its major sponsor, V Australia, is also a major sponsor in America’s biggest cycling race.


Race organiser AEG Sports had previously revealed that two more stages had been addd to this year’s California tour, with the sixth stage being sponsored by V Australia. However, the participation of Team Fly V remains to be confirmed, as its management company Pegasus Racing has declined to give any comments on this matter so far.


Interested observers would have to wait, since the complete team listings aren’t expected to be announced this early, anyway. It is possible that AEG Sports will be disclosing the final list later this month, or perhaps early in March. Half of the participants are anticipated to be ProTour and Professional Continental teams, while the rest will be from the Continental ranks in the U.S. If Fly V Australia will indeed join this year’s Amgen Tour of California, they will be the only exception to the rule.


Actually, this is not the first time that the Australian team will be competing on American soil. It has already raced in last year’s California tour, and managed to get at least two top 10 finishes, courtesy of their star sprinter Bernard Sulzberger.


Team Sky will not be joining the event, and team spokespersons say that they have neither been invited nor had interest in participating, anyway. What will be joining, says race organizer Andrew Messnick, are teams Radioshack, Cervelo, BMC, Saxo bank, and Liquigas, among others.


With these teams in the starting list, cycling fans will be expecting to see the likes of Lance Armstrong, George Hincapie, Andy Schleck, Heinrich Haussler, and Dave Zabriskie in the peloton.

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Heinrich Haussler and Thor Hushovd, both Team Cervelo captains, are not looking to copy the tension-filled season by Armstrong and Contador in Astana last year. These two have dispeled any notions of any in-fighting going on, and they have stated that they prefer a more peaceable and cooperative approach to their existence on the team.


Their success on the circuits seem to depend on it. The 2009 season saw both riders showing their dominance in the spring classics. They moved on to the Tour de France, where Hushovd earned a stage victory and also managed to hold off Mark Cavendish for the chance to wear the green jersey for the second time, while Haussler grabbed a stage win for himself.


Team Cervelo’s coming-out party last year was an impressive sight with 25 wins, and the pair of Hushovd and Haussler was responsible for getting half of that haul with 13 victories in between them. Apparently, the two team captains have gotten the picture that their individual successes in the 2009 season were by-products of them cooperating with each other, instead of fighting.


Hushovd agrees with this assesment. “There’s no problem between us. We want to win the big races as a team,” he says while taking a break during training camp. His Cervelo teammate Haussler also agrees that the 2010 season will be better for them and the team if they work together. “We have the best chance to win the classics with Thor, me, Klier,” he says. “We’re better and stronger this year because we know each other better.”


Haussler debuted his 2010 season at the Tour of Qatar, while Hushovd will be competing in his first race of the season at the Volta ao Algarve next week in Portugal. Both riders are looking forward to getting some wins in the spring classics this year, with Haussler setting his sights particularly on Milan-San Remo, and Hushovd looking for a win at Roubaix.

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Veer, a documentary displaying different types of cycling in the “bicycle capital of the world” Portland, is now showing at The Cube cinema in Kingsdown this Saturday. Some of the “cycling” in the film is bike jousting, cycle chariot racing, zoo bombing, and tall bikes going off jumps with fire. The same night on display is “Les Velobicis”, a mini bike display. After the movie there will be a bicycle powered Scalextrix, which is held by Bristol Bike Project. Starts at 5pm with tickets costing £4/£5.

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Needing something cycling specific but tired of the old messenger bags? Hincapie just received their new Pro Duffel Bag and Pro Pack which both are cycling specific. Made to carry all your cycling gear, and easy to access compartments for you water bottle (on the duffel bag), and your shoes (pro pack). The Hincapie Pro Duffel bag measures 12×13x25, uses a removable internal divider, plus organize easy with the various mesh pockets. Materials used are 420 denier ballistic nylon, reinforced 800 denier ballistic nylon bottom, and fleece on the pockets. Other highlights are padded should strap, and zippered pocket to separate wet items from the others. Retail price for the Pro Duffel is $79.99, and $89.99 for the Pro Pack.

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Wippermann introduces the new for 2010 ConneX 10S1 stainless steel 10 speed chain, constructed of stainless steel inner plates to withstand the long days riding hard and other trauma you may run into. The Wippermann ConneX 10S1 Stainless 10 Speed Chain 2010 is compatible with SRAM, Shimano, and Campagnolo 10 speed drivetrains, and using hollow pins to keep the weight to a mere 260 grams. Don’t worry about using a chain breaker because the ConneX 10S1 comes with a link to avoid the annoying tool. Retail price is $99.99.

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Bike manufacturer Giant is looking to establish a stronger presence in mountain bike racing for this year, with the formation of the new Rabobank-Giant Off-Road Team and the expansion of the Giant Factory Off-Road Team.


The two MTB teams now boast of an elite collection of Olympians and world champions, plus a powerful squad of free-ride stars. These riders will also be playing a major role in the testing and development of Giant equipment, particularly in the tough competitive environment of professional racing. Such equipment will include Maestro suspension bikes, XtC hardtails, and TCX cyclo-cross bicycles.


The Rabobank-Giant Off-Road Team is the latest addition to Giant’s MTB lineup, with Olympic rider Adam Craig headlining the young squad together with Emil Lindren, Fabian Giger, and Henk Jaap Moorlag. Giant is looking to do a full-time racing schedule for its cross-country and cyclo-cross riders all throughout the season, with XC racing during MTB season and cyclo-cross in the fall and winter.


Adam Craig says that Giant’s setup is ideal for the riders, citing the similarities between cyclo-cross and cross-country racing. “There’s always some athlete cross-over between the two disciplines. So structuring it under one team makes sense.”


Giant is also beefing up its Factory Off-Road Team with two new additions to the roster. Two-time U.S. Downhill champion Duncan Riffle will be joining the team, as well as World Cup Downhill Junior champion Danny Hart. 23-year old Riffle currently holds the 21st spot in UCI world downhill rankings, and is looking forward to competing in the major international downhill events for this year.


Duncan Riffle is not the only one in the Giant Factory Off-Road Team who’s going for gold in the international events. Kurt Sorge, who won silver in the 2008 Red Bull Rampage, has established a name for himself in slopestyle and free-ride competition, and will be leading the team in the major freeride events this year.


Jared Rando from Australia will also be competing in downhill and slalom events in Australia and North America, while Carl Decker and Kelli Emmett (both former U.S. National champions) will be racing in the cross-country and Super D events in the U.S. Meanwhile, Olympian Oli Beckingsale will be focusing on the XC events in Europe and Great Britain.

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The Maremma Cup will be seeing three Olympic gold medalists competing in its second year, namely Bart Brentjens, Miguel Martinez, and Julien Absalon.


Mountain biking was included in the Summer Games for the first time in 1996, with Bart Brentjens becoming the first-ever champion. Miguel Martinez won the gold medal in 2000, and Julien Absalon won back-to-back championships in 2004 and 2008. These three world-class riders are scheduled to join the MTB event this February 27, which is incidentally being organized by another mountain biking star, retired World Champion Thomas Frischknecht.


MTB fans will also get to see Nino Schurter, Florian Vogel, Ralf Naef, and Marco Fontana on the starting line, while the women’s races will see Eva Lechner, Nathalie Schneitter and Daniela Campuzano joining in.


Aside from the Olympians, the second Maremma Cup will also feature a different set of races for this year. The two major cross-country races are now scheduled for Sundays (February 28 and March 7), while a new “Flyer Race” for electric MTBs is scheduled for March 7. Other events will include four “kermesse” races, which will be held in historic locations such as the Old Town Massa Marittima, Porto Santo Stefano, and the Piazza Duomo.


Women cyclists are now welcome to join the kermesse races, and a separate race is also planned for the managers, engineers, and mechanics who want to get into some action for themselves.

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