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Tour of California - 2.HC

USA, February 14-22, 2009

Tech

Pro Bike: Markus Zberg's BMC Racemaster SLX01

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Markus Zberg's BMC Racemaster SLX01 isn't the lightest bike , but BMC says its design isn't about shedding grams but rather maximizing stiffness. James Huang finds out its rather unique approach in doing so.

Probike: Robert Gesink's Rabobank Giant TCR Advanced SL

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Cyclingnews looks at the Giant of a future cycling giant. Robert Gesink (Rabobank) impressed many at the Tour of California with another best young rider jersey win, all on the latest iteration of Giant's TCR carbon road racer, the TCR Advanced SL.

Race Tech: Tour of California Tech News

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Giant revises its TT rig to comply with UCI rules, Oakley's Jawbone, The skinny on Rock Racing's dual bike sponsorship, Short-offset seatmast head on the way from Ritchey?

Pro Bike: David Zabriskie's Garmin-Slipstream p/b Chipotle Felt DA

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David Zabriskie has long been regarded as one of America's best exponents of the time trial. He's got the wins to prove it, and as James Huang finds out, his speed machine has the level of intricate detail necessary for a rider of this pedigree.

Pro Bike: Christian Vande Velde’s Garmin-Slipstream Felt F1 SL

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Christian Vande Velde embarks on the long process of preparing for this year's Tour de France, beginning at this week's Tour of California. James Huang checked out the rig the Garmin-Slipstream rider hopes to take to success.

Race tech: A stay of execution for now in California

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Petitioning at the Tour of California has seen riders and teams weather the UCI '3:1' tech rule storm, at least for now. James Huang looks at the fine print that has cleared the way for Friday's time trial stage.

Tech news flash: Armstrong's Time Trial bike recovered

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Lance Armstrong's stolen time trial bike has been recovered according to local Police. The condition of the bike is still to be disclosed.

Pro Bike: Francisco Mancebo's Rock Racing Kestrel RT 800

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Rock Racing's Francisco Mancebo shook off controversy surrounding the squad and rode his Kestrel to Tour of California stage victory on Sunday. Cyclingnews looks at Mancebo's RT 800 in close detail.


Race tech: A possible disaster on the horizon?

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Team management and mechanics were awash in panic after rumours swirled that the UCI would be rigidly enforcing a new technical rule at this Friday’s time trial in Solvang. James Huang looks at how it could affect competitors in the Amgen Tour of California.


Race tech: Time trial tech from the Tour of California

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Cyclingnews' James Huang checked out the time trial bikes at the Tour of California prologue. From interesting cable routings to zip-tied bicycle computers, here is his tech impression from the time trial machines.


Pro bike: Alexandre Moos' BMC TT01 Time Machine

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BMC has high hopes for this year's Tour of California after an impressive showing in 2008 by riders such as Scott Nydam and former Swiss national road champion Alexandre Moos. Moos' teammates will all use BMC’s second-tier TT02 Time Machine for the time trials at this year's Tour of California, but Moos has been provided with the full-blown TT01 flagship.


Race tech: New gear for the new season

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SRAM had taken a PR hit over the past couple of years as many of their sponsored riders and teams had actually been subbing in other companies' chains, cassettes and chainrings instead of the official Red pieces for any number of reasons. However, that seems to have changed for the 2009 season as there were virtually no mismatched drivetrains to be found.


Features

Features

Photo feature: Tour of California in the frame

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Some of America's top names met the best riders from around the globe in a true battle of the titans at this year's Tour of California. The race might be over but now you can relive it with Cyclingnews' best of California photo gallery.

Levi Leipheimer: Tour of California is golden

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Leipheimer's third win in California came with even more fanfare than his previous two, and with the return of one Lance Armstrong to the peloton, the attention surrounding the race grew to a fevered pitch, making Leipheimer's triple title headline news, as Cyclingnews' Laura Weislo discovered.

Floyd Landis: Landis breaks radio silence

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Floyd Landis has avoided the press since the start of the Tour of California, and indeed since he came back from his two-year suspension at the start of February. He broke his silence on Saturday and answered questions at the post-stage press conference after the Tour of California's seventh stage on Saturday in Pasadena.

Tour of California: Who can beat Levi in the Solvang time trial?

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The 24 kilometres of the Tour of California's time trial in Solvang are arguably the most decisive in the race. The top four riders on general classification are separated by only 30 seconds, so the time trial is expected to create some significant time gaps. Cyclingnews' Kirsten Robbins asks: is there anyone who can beat Leipheimer?

   

Tour director: Charting the course for Tour of California

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Often labelled 'travelling circuses', stage races are hard work. Just ask Medalist Sports' Chuck Hodge, he's the man in charge of the Tour of California, America's biggest travelling circus when it comes to cycling. Cyclingnews' Mark Zalewski discovers what the 'man behind the curtain' does to make everything tick.

Tour of California: Cali-climb-ication

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This year's Amgen Tour of California is loaded with climbs of all shapes and sizes. Which ones will separate the pretenders from the contenders?

Cyclingnews' Bruce Hildenbrand finds there will be a few surprises for the riders.


Chris Horner: Letting the legs do the talking

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American pro cyclist Chris Horner will race side by side with his new teammate Lance Armstrong for the first time, a fact which is surprising since Horner has been openly critical of Armstrong in the past. Horner spoke with BikeRadar.com's Gary Boulanger about how the two senior members of the Astana team are getting on.


The contenders: Preparing for the big show

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The state of California is preparing for legions of cycling fans to descend upon its road sides for the fourth edition of the Amgen Tour. Cyclingnews' Les Clarke takes a look at if and why this year's race will be the biggest cycling show ever to hit US shores.


Astana: Adopting the Californian way

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With the return of Lance Armstrong, it's inevitable to wonder where Astana's allegiance will lie in pursuing overall victory when the race finishes in Escondido on February 22: with two-time defending champion Levi Leipheimer or the seven-time Tour de France champion?