Cycling

RadioShack-Leopard will ride for Andy Schleck at the upcoming Tour de France, the team announced in a press release on Wednesday. Schleck, who has struggled since a hard crash at the Critérium du Dauphiné last year left him with a fractured pelvis, said a few months ago that he would not be the team’s No. 1 rider at the Tour. But a strong performance at the recent Tour de Suisse, in which he placed 40th, showed team bosses that he was in good enough form for the three-week race. Schleck finished second in the 2010 Tour but was declared the victor after Alberto Contador was stripped of his victory because of a doping positive. “We are happy to see that Andy is back,” general manager Luca Guercilena said. “Nobody in the team ever had doubts about the talent of Andy. Little by little he has come back to the level where we expect him. The Tour de Suisse encouraged and convinced us to give him the role he deserves and to give him the opportunity to have dedicated riders surrounding and supporting him.” RadioShack for the 2013 Tour de France Jan Bakelants Laurent Didier Tony Gallopin Markel Irizar Andreas Klöden Maxime Monfort Andy Schleck Jens Voigt Haimar Zubeldia

Andy Schleck will lead the Radioshack-Leopard team at the Tour de France despite a year-long struggle with his form.

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Enduro is the latest trend in mountain bike racing. Is it here to stay? Photo: Allen Krughoff | HardcastlePhotography.comEditor’s note: The Dirt Dispatch is an opinion column periodically penned by VeloNews.com tech writer Spencer Powlison. He draws on his New England-born pragmatism and over 18 years of riding and racing experience to contemplate the state of mountain biking and more. In case you’ve been off the grid at a sweat lodge on the Mexican border, enduro mountain bike racing has arrived. On one hand, the excitement is palpable. On the other, it rings of the sports faded glory days, when NORBA cross-country could be found on national TV, or those few years that thousands flocked to rural backwaters for 24-hour races. If road and mountain biking are siblings, the former is an even-keeled professional with a suburban home, maybe kids. Mountain biking, however, has bounced around between an unfinished PhD., a sojourn in South America, multiple minor arrests, and annual trips to Burning Man. While road relishes consistent events and formats born out of years of tradition, mountain biking frequently reinvents itself, usually based on the most current racing trend. What Is Enduro? Enduro is that latest trend. But perhaps, this time, it can enrich the sport in the long-term. For the benefit of the sweat lodge set, enduro is a race on a long (10- to 30-minute), technical, undulating downhill. Usually, multiple stages are combined to determine overall standings. As with most mountain bike races, the format and courses vary based on the venue and whim of the organizers. In its purest form, enduro is a grassroots, accessible way for average mountain bikers to race. Neither eight-inch travel bikes nor endless base miles are necessary to hop in and have a fun time. The trail bikes people already own are well suited to the courses. If mountain biking wants to settle down a little, a steady influx of grassroots participation will go a long way, but there are pitfalls looming. To The Race Organizers Many race series have been doomed by inattention to the racers’ needs — your customers. Do you think they are going to gush about how much they love corporate sponsorship over post-race beers? Race promotion should be less like selling tickets to a Miley Cyrus concert and more like putting together an elaborate pig roast for your 200 closest friends. To The Bike Companies Don’t make enduro-specific products. Make mountain bike gear that works well for hard-charging riders that pedal. You shouldn’t need specialized gear to hop in a race. The average mountain bike will do just fine. Thanks to many companies, these bikes are better than ever, but don’t let fashion drive product development into the hinterlands of specificity. If I see an enduro skinsuit next year, I will dropkick my POC helmet with the rage of an ejected NCAA basketball coach. To The Riders Don’t believe the hype. This isn’t new. Enduro is just a race format. Enduro “riding” or “training”? That’s what we call “mountain biking,” my friend, and we’ve been doing it for years. Keep it fun, get new riders involved, and don’t take it too seriously. Honestly, the fellas riding Repack back in the 1970s were living the enduro lifestyle harder the majority of people buying dropper posts today, so keep it in perspective. Power To The People Like any half-crazy, free-spirited sibling, mountain biking always manages to inspire. Does it need to find a career path? Does it need a racing format with staying power? Maybe. People race regardless, so why not cultivate enduro, which is coherent with the average rider’s experience; ride up to ride down. Give them great events and versatile technology. Yes, it’s fun to marvel at Olympic XC racing or downhill forks that rival moto componentry, but how far can that inspiration take us? Mountain biking isn’t likely to find its own Tour de France to attract millions of spectators. Don’t force it to wear that monkey suit. Embrace the grassroots.

Road bike will take discs or rim brakes and either mechanical or electronic shifting read more

This weekend brings the third annual Anjou Velo Vintage bicycle ride and weekend of ativities to Saumur, France. Vintage bicycles will make the 87 km ride between Angers and Saumur to celebrate the 100th edition of the Tour de France, passing through Unesco World Heritage sights along the way. The weekend will host a vintage show, swap and party where there will be no shortage of tales from the old days.

Photo submitted by Dmitry Tkachenko. Dmitry has a chance to win a retro TDF t-shirt from Après Vélo. Check in Friday to vote for...

Brits prominent in team events; top woman makes amazing comeback read more

Podium place "unrealistic" says Guercilena

Giro’s 40M Tech Overshort is exactly what you imagine—high performance cycling shorts that you wear over your spandex. They provide style, warmth and perhaps protection in a crash, but mostly they’re for modest folks who don’t like to look like they’re riding around in their underwear. Many people will tell you that there’s nothing like riding in just plain spandex cycling shorts. (The retired Pittsburgh bike messenger Ray Balls was living proof.) Wearing anything over them means you’re increasing the friction between you and your saddle, and impeding cooling and ventilation. Thus, one of the biggest challenges in designing a high-performance overshort is reducing friction. The 40M Tech Overshort features a seemless nylon and spandex panel where it matters most. Another major factor in performace is fit, so Giro offers these shorts in sizes XS-XXL in both regular and slim fit. I have a 31″ waist, so Giro sent me the “32 Slim”. I don’t think I’ve ever had a better fitting pair of shorts. Granted, aesthetically I prefer a baggier look, but I simply can’t deny that the cut of the 40M is spot on. Although they’re made for road riding, I’ve taken them on mountain bike rides, as well. Off road riding puts shorts to the test because you change riding positions so frequently. These never felt uncomfortable, nor did they ever snag on the nose of my saddle. The shorts are constructed if synthetic fabric that has a nice look and feel, as well as a little bit of stretch. Giro makes use of additional spandex stretch panels at the waist, with both buttoned waistband adjustments and good old fashioned belt loops. Personally, I would have liked a zippered wallet pocket on the butt, however Giro decided to keep the 40M Tech Overshort all business (noting that their accompanying jerseys all have plenty of rear pockets). These shorts have just two small pockets, a zippered cell phone pocket on the left thigh, and a key pocket on the right hip. Like the rest of the New Road collection, the 40M Tech Overshort is sewn in California. Available in three colorways, they retail for $120. Check out www.giro.com