Cycling stuff...

Ok, Geaorge Hincapie gets to race all next year with the Stars-n-Bars of US National champion. George worked well with soon-to-be-teammate Levi Leipheimer to completely shatter the field in Greenville, where there were only 30-ish finishers... whoa. George rode away to finish alone in front of his hometown fans- much to their delight. Say what you want about George and his is he/ is he not "tough enough", good enough, fast enough, etc... BUT... after the disastrous Paris-Roubaix he had and the disappointing Tour, to come back and hold his head together so he could win the Championship Jersey shows at least a little inner strength and focus. Way to go George- I'm happy for you.

The Vuelta a Espana (Tour of Spain people...) is on it's first rest day today. I wish I could say I've been following it more closely this year, as I think it is a great event, but I've just been so busy trying to get caught back up after my vacation. However, it has been a great racce so far- from what I've seen. Best of all? Alexandre Vinokourov getting two stage wins and proving that his legs are back and they are strong. His wins give Astana new life and help them with trying to retain riders and sign new ones. Alejandro Valverde is currently in the lead and barring incident could pull of the win- even this early in the game. He's just such a classy rider, with tons of talent, so it is merely a matter of "when" versus "if" he will win a Grand Tour. In my mind, he's in the driver's seat now and has all the potential to put his name in the record book.

DT Swiss has released some new wheels at Eurobike (the big European bike industry trade show, for those who don't know) that are simply gorgeous. I love my Shimano wheels, largely because I have been unsuccessful in trying to kill them (which means a lot to me), but the new DT wheels are smokin' hot!

Eurobike also reminds me of the fact that in less than a week I'll be in Montreal for the BTAC/ Expocycle tradeshow and then in Vegas for Interbike at the end of the month. Show season, as I keep saying, is super stressful because of all the details that need to be coordinated (and I know I am going to screw some of them up). However, it is also my favorite time of year to be a part of this wonderful/ goofy business. I get to see all my industry friends, see some of my heroes (yes, I'm talking about Eddy) and generally talk to lots of people who are just as passionate about cycling as I am. I love this crazy time of year and can't wait to get things rolling in Canada (though sadly this year it happens on the weekend that my father is coming in to town for my nephew's baptism and I will be gone).

Hope you are having a great Labor Day holiday (if you're in the US). I think I might just slip into some lycra and go ride a bike...

Tim