Velochimp: Astrochimp on Cycling

Lance Armstrong was not at the Tour presentation, but he did give his reactions to the 2009 Tour route today.
First off, Lance likes the innovative route of the 2009 course that starts in Monaco with a 15km hilly TT and visits Barcelona and Girona, Spain.

“The route of the 2009 Tour de France strikes me [...]

Stefan Schumacher’s blistering Time Trial performances at the Tour were certainly a surprise to many. Apparently when someone like Schumacher or Riccardo Ricco performs above and beyond expectations they are most likely doping. Meanwhile Leonardo Piepoli was positive for CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator) which is not a shock since he was implicated as an [...]

(AP Photo/Bas Czerwinski)
Ugh, hope this turns out to be nothing. The car of Johnny Schleck the father of Andy and former Yellow Jersey Frank Schleck was searched by customs agents.
So far news reports are simply that the car was searched for 30 minutes. Schleck’s car was then seen following the French customs police vehicle during [...]

(AP Photo/Bas Czerwinski)
Frank Schleck has a bunch of contenders breathing down his neck for the Tour title. Austrian Bernhard Kohl is a surprise revelation that is only seven seconds off pace and could swipe the Yellow Jersey off Schleck’s shoulders by Wednesday night. Team CSC is definitely the strongest team in the race with Jens [...]

PATRICK HERTZOG/AFP/Getty Image
The first major mountain stage of the Tour de France dealt Alejandro Valverde and Damiano Cunego a cold dose of Pyrennean reality. Jens Voight and the CSC power zombies crushed the field up the Col de Tourmalet climb. Voight is not a climber, just a power zombie bent on feeling pain. His twisting [...]

Cyclist Rolls Off Side Of Bridge – Watch more free videos
The video has been everywhere. This is a crazy crash and fortunately Frank Schleck made it out alright. Seems the racers who careen off of mountain roads usually make it OK. Oscar Pereiro crashed on the Col D’aubisque in the Tour in 2005 while busy [...]

Alejandro Valverde now has two Liege-Bastonge-Liege wins in his pocket. The Spanish climbing-sprinting sensation looks to be on track to be a contender in the Tour once again. Though he admitted that his form was not as good as in 2006 when he took his last win at Liege, he was able to use his [...]

Damiano Cunego surprisingly beat Franck Schleck up the final Cauberg climb to win Amstel Gold. The revenge must be sweet after losing to Schleck at L’Alpe D’Huez in 2006. Cunego now looks to be the favorite going into Liege-Bastonge-Liege since it is better suited to his abilities. Lampre has also announced the Tour de France [...]

“We are not looking for another leader, we are already strong” explains Bjarne Riis manager of Team CSC. After the departure of Ivan Basso due to the fallout of Operation Puerto Team CSC was left without a main man for the Grand Tours. Bjarne is not really looking for Ivan’s replacement.
Carlos Sastre had a very [...]

CSC seemed to be a team in serious trouble this early season as several riders were injured so early in the season. Despite riders such as Stuart O”grady and Christian Vande Velde being out and Bobby Julich delaying his form, the CSC men have been producing better results than previous years. This year CSC won [...]