I found this video as part of MTBR's Virtual Interbike coverage for WTB.

I'm looking forward to getting set up with some new WTB tires for next season with the Tubeless Compatible System (TCS). It takes the strong wire bead of a true UST tubeless tire and matches it with a standard casing to work with a sealant system to drop the overall weight of a tubeless set up by dropping the UST casing weight. I have been running the WTB Mutano's all year on my Bionicon and just recently put on as my rear tire on my Surly 1x1 for Single Speed World Championships. The high volume, light weight of that tire makes it a great choice for racing on the mixed conditions at Winter Park.

Looking down the road...

Watching the final lap of the 2008 World Cup race at Koksijde gets me thinking down the road towards the Boulder Racing cyclocross race at the Boulder Reservoir on October 25. Although I haven't raced a Boulder Racing race at the reservoir, I remember the Boulder Cup Day 1 in 2008 at the Res. One thing I notice in this video is how tactically smart Erwin Vervecken and Sven Nys ride this last lap-- never letting the other one get too far out ahead, knowing when to ride and when to dismount, when to attack and when to sit in just just a little longer. In the end, Vervecken punches it just right to come out from behind.

The sand at the Res just sucks the energy out of your legs and the best option is to run and pin it. It hurts so much but feels so good at the same time. Weird how so many 'cross races end up that way.

2004 TdF

In 2004, I had the opportunity to go and see the final stage of the Tour de France. This was the year that if Lance Armstrong won the race, he would step out of the group of cycling legends who had won the overall classification Tour five times each in their careers to become the first to win six. In 2005, Armstrong would claim his seventh overall win in Paris.

The thing that amazed me on that day was the speed at which the riders passed by. With this being my first professional cycling race, I was in awe of the speed, fury and beauty of the passing peleton. Although I didn't get to see it with my eyes, I can only imagine what Tom Boonen's final sprint was like just meters down the road from where I stood.

The peleton, led by United States Postal Service Professional Cycling team and Lance Armstron in the yellow jersey, on the first of eight laps of the Champs-Elysees.

This picture pretty well sums up Armstrong's accomplishments in 2004, besting those like Eddy Merckx for the record of Tour de France wins.

Tyler Hamilton stopped by to greet American fans along the Champs-Elysees after crashing in stage 6 and subsequently dropping out of the tour during stage 16. Hamilton would go on to win the gold medal in the Olympic Time Trial in Athens and stage 8 at the Vuelta a Espana. In the coming months however, Hamilton's two positive doping results would more or less bring an end to his professional cycling career.

California's golden boy, Levi Leipheimer, palced 9th overall riding for Rabobank. He stopped by to give some love to the American fans in Paris.

SSWC'09 Post Race Party

Brecktobercross, Sept. 20th