Cycling

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Aru and Kangert shine at Tre Cime di Lavaredo

As the many of you who I've seen in person in the last couple of weeks already know, I'm in the process of making a big change in my life. After 16 years of making my living as an architect, I've quit my job, and am starting on another path, running a bicycle shop specializing in transportation cycling.As longtime readers and locals know, Cambridge, Somerville, Boston, and environs have a flourishing transportation bicycling scene. More and more people are realizing that a bicycle is the most convenient way around a dense and parking- challenged city, as well as being healthy, green and fun! So it's almost shocking that there's no place in town to test-ride a bakfiets, and very few where you can buy a traditional step through city bike with fenders, chainguard, rack and lights built in. There also aren't many places that focus on bicycling with kids, which I think is increasingly needed as people who bike everywhere start families and want to continue their cycling lifestyle, and pass it along to their kids.So, I'm going to try to fill that gap with a new shop called Bicycle Belle. I've rented space on a prime cycling route- the corner of Beacon St and Oxford St (368 Beacon) on the Somerville/ Cambridge line; hopefully soon to be the head of the new cycletrack. It's freshly painted and I've replaced the fluorescent tubes with decorative lights. I'm in the process of ordering bikes and accessories, installing shop fixtures and generally getting things sorted and set up. It's been a busy couple of weeks, both before I quit my job, and this first week that I'm working full time on the shop.The first boxes of accessories and the first set of bikes will arrive next week, and we'll be getting bikes through the summer as longer lead time european bikes (Workcycles and Paper bikes) start to trickle in.It's a big scary leap into the unknown, as I know absolutely nothing about retail- I never even worked in a shop in high school- I was a waitress instead! But it's something I have a passion for, something I follow obsessively in my free time, and something I hope that the city needs and wants. I've already had some ups and downs, and I'm sure that will continue, as I learn the ropes and figure out the industry, the retail business and the market. I hope that I can provide a real service to people looking for these kinds of bikes, and maybe even make a living doing it. I just have to trust that I can figure out all the details along the way!I'm incredibly grateful to the support of my family, the Scientists' family (my family too now!) my bikey friends who have been giving support- especially Velouria from Lovely Bicycle who has been meeting with me for months helping me plot and scheme. And more than anyone the Scientist, who is not only taking on the responsibility of supporting us while I get this off the ground, but has enthusiastically encouraged me through all the planning and dreaming and teeth-gnashing.I don't have a firm opening date, but I expect it will be in the month of June. I suspect that this blog may become a diary more about opening a bike shop than riding, as I work to make it all happen.Please let me know if you have any suggestions for inventory or other ideas, and I hope to see those of you in the Boston area at the shop once it's open for business!

Colombian gains time on Majka to become best young rider

Christian Vande Velde said Saturday was a beautiful day — for skiing. Photo: Graham Watson | www.grahamwatson.comTRE CIME DI LAVAREDO, Italy (VN) — The Giro d’Italia went from spring to winter in about 30 minutes Saturday afternoon to put a dramatic finishing touch on the season’s first grand tour. After riding most of the day in perfect summer-like conditions, the peloton rode straight into a brutal snowstorm as the course climbed the spectacular wall at the Tre Cime summit deep in the heart of the Dolomites. When the peloton turned right and up with about 7km to go, conditions went from bad to worse. By the time stage winner Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) had crossed the line, winter had returned with a vengeance to northern Italy. Heavy snow pelted riders crossing the line. In the chaos that is unique to the Giro, riders desperately searched for ways to get warm and dry. Riders were routed off-course to a parking area, where soigneurs directed snow-bound cyclists to waiting team cars. “It was epic today. The roads were fine, but it’s snowing hard right now. It’s a beautiful … ski day,” said Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Sharp) as he wiped down inside a team van waiting for a drive back down to the waiting team buses. “I just hope we can get out of here.” Michele Scarponi (Lampre-Merida) crossed the finish line screaming. Not because he had lost out on a chance to secure a spot on the Giro d’Italia podium, but because it felt like someone was pushing razors into his frozen hands. “Freddo! Molto freddo!” Scarponi said with a grimace, sticking his hands into his soigneur’s jacket. “I have never been so cold!” Others came across with chattering teeth, helmets covered in snow, and exposed skin turning mottled pink and white from the extreme cold. Riders found themselves thrown into the finish-line tussle of shoving officials, prying journalists, stressed-out soigneurs, and the occasional fan who had infiltrated the restricted zone. With snow whipping around and everyone pushing and shoving, riders would stop short interviews to try to find refuge. “There was just some snow. It didn’t bother me very much. We were very confident,” Tanel Kangert told VeloNews. “Vincenzo was in good shape — hey, do you know if there is another tent up here? I am freezing. …” Others took the pandemonium in stride. For them, it was just another day at the office. “It actually wasn’t that cold when we were climbing, because the body creates a lot of heat,” said Peter Weening (Orica-GreenEdge). “Now I am getting cold once we stop pedaling and talk to all of you.” Winter-like conditions took the teeth out of the final weekend of racing in the Giro, so officials breathed a sigh of relief that at least they could finish Saturday’s stage on the Tre Cime summit. Heavy snow on the high passes forced Giro officials to cancel Friday’s stage in its entirety and prompted a major re-routing of Sunday’s “queen stage.” Rather than tackle five major climbs, the stage hugged the valley floor, where temperatures were pleasant in the mid-70s, before tackling the Tre Cime climb with ramps over 20 percent. Things quickly changed once the route turned south and started to climb into the upper reaches of the Dolomites. Clouds blotted out spectacular views of the towering rock walls above the finish line at 2300 meters. Vande Velde, who raced without leg warmers, said conditions went from one extreme to another very quickly. “The whole day wasn’t so bad. Considering how bad the weather’s been so far in this Giro, it was pretty successful today,” Vande Velde said. “In all honesty, I’ve been much colder other days. It’s the wind chill that gets you. We can finish on the uphill; it’s the descents that are dangerous. And that’s when you get that chi

BMC rider slips to third overall after gear problem

With first place out of reach, Rigoberto Uran and Sky went for the next best thing — pushing Cadel Evans out of second overall. Photo: Gregor BrownTRE CIME DI LAVAREDO, Italy (VN) — Colombia delivered a knockout punch on Sunday in whiteout conditions up the Giro d’Italia’s Tre Cime di Lavaredo climb. Where Eddy Merckx made his name in the climb’s debut in the late 1960s, Colombia’s Escarabajos made their mark. With the help of Fabio Duarte (Colombia), Carlos Betancur (Ag2r La Mondiale) nabbed the white jersey and Rigoberto Urán (Sky) left Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) behind to seize second overall. The Giro d’Italia, after a frigid final week, finishes in Brescia on Sunday with a flat stage that should see the results stick. “I had the Colombians at my side, Betancur and Duarte,” Urán said while swaddled in warm clothes after the finish. “We did some good work.” The climb debuted in 1967, but the organizer had to annul the results due to snow and over-helpful tifosi pushing riders. Merckx returned, won and rode on to his first grand-tour win the following year. Both times, as on Saturday, it was snowing. Overall leader Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) shot clear with 2.6km left in the stage. Urán couldn’t keep the overall leader’s pace, but he did leave behind Evans, who started the day 10 seconds ahead of him in second overall. The move drew out Betancur, who trailed Pole Rafal Majka (Saxo-Tinkoff) by two seconds in the best young rider competition. Betancur bridged to join and lifted Colombia’s spirits. Journalists at the finish radioed home live comments at a rapid pace. Though they were unable to win the stage, this was close enough: Urán knocking out 2011 Tour de France winner Evans for second place and Betancur taking the white jersey. Betancur had to fight back from a puncture and subsequent bike change before the base of the climb. “My teammates did a good job to help me get back to the bunch,” Betancur said. “I was hoping to win the stage but Nibali is a class by himself. I’m very happy with my performance in this Giro — to win the young jersey gives me great motivation for the future.” Betancur leads the young rider classification by 41 seconds over Majka. “It’s important for me to finish second overall, that’s a big difference from third place. I wasn’t able to get first, but second is pretty good,” Urán added. “Nibali is unbelievable. You saw what he did today; he was truly going well. However, finishing second overall is an important result for team Sky and me in this Giro. … It’s what I wanted to achieve because I saw that first overall was out of reach.” Urán placed seventh overall and won the white jersey last year. Earlier in the Giro, Urán won the stage to Altopiano del Montasio. The win set him up as Sky’s overall leader as Brad Wiggins was nearing an abandon due to a chest cold. Duarte, the under-23 world champion in 2008, and team Colombia arrived empty-handed. They lost an opportunity when Friday’s high mountain stage was canceled and narrowly missed a stage win on Saturday. Duarte had to settle for second behind Nibali, 17 seconds down. However, the ride did sit well with the team sponsor and his country’s minister of sport, Andres Botero, who rode shotgun in the team’s car. He failed to see a win, but left with a feeling of national pride.

1. Carmen Small, Specialized-Lululemon, 42:38.0 2. Kristin McGrath, Exergy Twenty16, 42:39.0 3. Alison Powers, Now And Novartis For Ms, 42:50.1 4. Evelyn Stevens, Specialized-Lululemon, 43:18.8 5. Jade Wilcoxson, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies, 43:22.2 6. Jacquelyn Crowell, Exergy Twenty16, 43:23.4 7. Janel Holcomb, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies, 43:39.0 8. Tayler Wiles, Specialized-Lululemon, 43:48.5 9. Jessica Cutler, Vanderkitten, 44:04.0 10. Brianna Walle, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies, 44:15.0 11. Molly Van Houweling, Metromint Cycling, 44:15.4 12. Robin Farina, Now And Novartis For Ms, 44:25.0 13. Jamie Bookwalter, Colavita-Fine Cooking, 44:31.0 14. Kaitlin Antonneau, Exergy Twenty16, 44:32.8 15. Megan Guarnier, Rabo Women Cycling Team, 44:36.0 16. Amanda Miller, Team Tibco-To The Top, 44:38.1 17. Mara Abbott, Exergy Twenty16, 44:39.3 18. Alison Tetrick, Exergy Twenty16, 45:04.6 19. Andrea Dvorak, Exergy Twenty16, 45:08.3 20. Jessica Prinner, Care4cycling-Solomon Corp, 45:10.9 21. Maura Kinsella, Now And Novartis For Ms, 45:12.6 22. Lauren Hall, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies, 45:23.6 23. Ruth Winder, Vanderkitten, 45:30.4 24. Devon Gorry, Now And Novartis For Ms, 45:42.5 25. Ally Stacher, Specialized-Lululemon, 45:46.5 26. Amber Gaffney, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies, 46:21.6 27. Elizabeth Newell, Now And Novartis For Ms, 46:32.4 28. Amy Charity, Vanderkitten, 46:56.5 29. Kirsten Sass, Team Gran Fondo, 47:03.6 30. Alexis Ryan, Now And Novartis For Ms, 47:14.4 30. Katie Ryan, Team Belladium, 47:14.4 31. Irena Ossola, Team Kenda-RACC, 47:17.1 32. Amy Phillips, Hub Endurance Women’s Cycling Team, 47:18.0 33. Sara Clafferty, Pinnacle-Argon 18, 47:21.2 34. Addyson Albershardt, Pasta Zara-Corgeas, 47:57.1 35. Kathryn Donovan, Now And Novartis For Ms, 48:06.6 36. Melinda Spratt, Louis Garneau Factory Team-Fuji, 48:23.7 37. Rebecca Clark, Healthy Living-Lakeland Endurance Company, 48:36.1 38. Amanda Ragle, Team Belladium, 49:05.2 40. Catherine Dewberry, Team Belladium, 49:57.9 41. Christina Birch, I Am Racing, 50:44.5 42. Jennifer Schuble, I Am Racing, 50:56.2 DNS Lindsay Bayer, Colavita-Fine Cooking DNS Lauren De Crescenzo, Team Kenda-RACC DNS Lauren Komanski, Now And Novartis For Ms

1. Maxim IGLINSKY, Astana, in 3:41:38 2. André GREIPEL, Lotto-Belisol, at :02 3. Philippe GILBERT, BMC Racing, at :02 4. Danny VAN POPPEL, Vacansoleil-DCM, at :02 5. Francesco GAVAZZI, Astana, at :02 6. Yukiya ARASHIRO, Europcar, at :02 7. Reinardt JANSE VAN RENSBURG, Argos-Shimano, at :02 8. Marcel MEISEN, BKCP-Powerplus, at :02 9. Tom VAN ASBROECK, Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise, at :02 10. Jean-Pierre DRUCKER, Accent Jobs-Wanty, at :02 11. Sébastien DELFOSSE, Crelan-Euphony, at :02 12. Moreno HOFLAND, Blanco, at :02 13. Alexey TSATEVITCH, Katusha, at :02 14. Maxime VANTOMME, Crelan-Euphony, at :05 15. Laurens DE VREESE, Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise, at :05 16. Jens DEBUSSCHERE, Lotto-Belisol, at :05 17. Simone PONZI, Astana, at :05 18. Yves LAMPAERT, Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise, at :05 19. Tony MARTIN, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, at :05 20. Luis Leon SANCHEZ GIL, Blanco, at :05 21. Tony HUREL, Europcar, at :05 22. Dieter VANTHOURENHOUT, BKCP-Powerplus, at :05 23. Sven NYS, Crelan-Euphony, at :05 24. Sep VANMARCKE, Blanco, at :05 25. Jurgen ROELANDTS, Lotto-Belisol, at :05 26. Dominik NERZ, BMC Racing, at :05 27. David VAN DER POEL, BKCP-Powerplus, at :05 28. Thomas VOECKLER, Europcar, at :05 29. Martin KOHLER, BMC Racing, at :05 30. Michael VANTHOURENHOUT, BKCP-Powerplus, at :05 31. Steven CAETHOVEN, Accent Jobs-Wanty, at :05 32. Maxime MONFORT, RadioShack-Leopard, at :05 33. Aliaksandr KUCHYNSKI, Katusha, at :05 34. Laurent EVRARD, Wallonie-Bruxelles, at :05 35. Roman MAIKIN, RusVelo, at :05 36. Sergey LAGUTIN, Vacansoleil-DCM, at :05 37. Björn LEUKEMANS, Vacansoleil-DCM, at :05 38. Alexander PORSEV, Katusha, at :05 39. Tom DUMOULIN, Argos-Shimano, at :05 40. Gijs VAN HOECKE, Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise, at :05 41. David VEILLEUX, Europcar, at :05 42. Greg VAN AVERMAET, BMC Racing, at :05 43. Mirko SELVAGGI, Vacansoleil-DCM, at :05 44. Jos VAN EMDEN, Blanco, at :05 45. Adrien PETIT, Cofidis, at :05 46. Lubomir PETRUS, BKCP-Powerplus, at :05 47. Nikita NOVIKOV, Vacansoleil-DCM, at :05 48. Egidijus JUODVALKIS, Crelan-Euphony, at :05 49. Artur ERSHOV, RusVelo, at :05 50. Artem OVECHKIN, RusVelo, at :05 51. Niki TERPSTRA, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, at :05 52. Antoine DEMOITIE, Wallonie-Bruxelles, at :05 53. Kristof VANDEWALLE, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, at :05 54. Jérôme BAUGNIES, To Win-Josan, at :05 55. Nico SIJMENS, Cofidis, at :05 56. Ruslan TLEUBAYEV, Astana, at :05 57. Manuel QUINZIATO, BMC Racing, at :05 58. Andreas KLÖDEN, RadioShack-Leopard, at :05 59. Alexandr KOLOBNEV, Katusha, at :05 60. Johnny HOOGERLAND, Vacansoleil-DCM, at :05 61. Florent BARLE, Cofidis, at :05 62. Niels ALBERT, BKCP-Powerplus, at :05 63. Greg HENDERSON, Lotto-Belisol, at :05 64. Jurgen VAN GOOLEN, Accent Jobs-Wanty, at :05 65. Stijn DEVOLDER, RadioShack-Leopard, at :05 66. Thomas DEGAND, Accent Jobs-Wanty, at :05 67. Jelle VANENDERT, Lotto-Belisol, at :05 68. Quentin BERTHOLET, Wallonie-Bruxelles, at :05 69. Wouter POELS, Vacansoleil-DCM, at :05 70. Sébastien TURGOT, Europcar, at :05 71. Stéphane POULHIES, Cofidis, at :05 72. Eduard VORGANOV, Katusha, at :05 73. Mark MCNALLY, An Post-Chainreaction, at :05 74. Arnaud LABBE, Cofidis, at :05 75. Tom MEEUSEN, Telenet-Fidea, at :05 76. Thomas ROHREGGER, RadioShack-Leopard, at :05 77. Romain ZINGLE, Cofidis, at :05 78. Tom BOONEN, Omega Pharma-Quick Step, at :05 79. Xavier FLORENCIO CABRE, Katusha, at :05 80. Sébastien CHAVANEL, Europcar, at :05 81. Marcus BURGHARDT, BMC Racing, at :05 82. Ben HERMANS, RadioShack-Leopard, at :05 83. Marc GOOS, Blanco, at :05 84. Damien GAUDIN, Europcar, at :05 85. Jurgen VAN DE WALLE, Lotto-Belisol, at :05 86. Tom Jelte SLAGTER, Blanco, at :17 87. Frédéric AMORISON, Crelan-Euphony, at :17 88. Lars BOOM, Blanco, at :17 89. Dennis VANENDERT, Lotto-Belisol, at :21 90. Philipp WALSLEBEN, BKCP-Powerplus, at :24 91. Marcel SIEBERG, Lotto-Belisol, at :33 92. Kris BOECKMANS, Vacansoleil-DCM, at :39 93. Grégory RAST, RadioShack-Leopard, at :05 94. Aaron GATE, An Post-Chainreaction, at 1

"This time I wanted to leave my mark on the race"