By RACHEL COHEN
AP Sports Writer

NEW YORK (AP) _ Lance Armstrong won his first seven Tour de France titles with Johan Bruyneel as his team director. No way would he try for No. 8 without him.

Armstrong will ride for Bruyneel’s Astana team as he seeks to win the 2009 Tour, the Kazakh Cycling Federation said Wednesday. Federation deputy chief Nikolai Proskurin told The Associated Press that Armstrongagreed to ride for the Kazakhstan-based team for free the first year and has signed up to take part in five races, including the Tour de France.

Armstrong was set to detail his comeback later Wednesday at a news conference during the Clinton Global Initiative. Earlier, in a speech to an audience full of political and corporate leaders, he announced that his foundation was committing $8 million over five years to expand its fight against cancer from the U.S. to underserved parts of the world such as Africa and South America.

“For us as Americans, for us as an international community, if we are not supplying the medicine we have to the people who need it the most, we are failing morally and ethically,” Armstrong said.

The 37-year-old Armstrong’s first race will be the Tour of California from Feb. 14-22, Proskurin said. But Australian officials announced earlier that Armstrong would ride in the Tour Down Under from Jan. 20-25. The race in Adelaide, Australia, is the first event on the 2009 world pro cycling calendar.

What the rest of the Astana team will look like is unclear. Alberto Contador, the 2007 Tour de France champ, might already be looking for a new team.

“I think I’ve earned the right to be the leader of a team without having to fight for my place,” the Spanish rider said Tuesday in AS newspaper. “And with Armstrong some difficult situations could arise in which the team would put him first and that would hurt me.”

Contador, signed with Astana through 2010, said he had received several good offers from other teams. The Spaniard won the Spanish Vuelta on Sunday. Combined with his 2008 Giro d’Italia title, he became just the fifth cyclist to win the three highest-regarded Tours.

Another Astana rider, American Levi Leipheimer, had no interest in discussing Armstrong after his former teammate with U.S. Postal Service announced his comeback earlier this month.

There is already tension between Leipheimer and Contador. Contador said he got no help from Leipheimer in his Vuelta victory.

There also are no guarantees Astana will race the 2009 Tour. Race officials kept the team from competing this year because of a series of previous doping violations, and Contador was unable to defend his championship.

Armstrong spoke at the opening plenary session of the Clinton Global Initiative, a four-day annual meeting held by the foundation of former President Bill Clinton. His remarks preceded a panel that included Clinton, Queen Rania al-Abdullah of Jordan, U2 lead singer Bono, former Vice President Al Gore, Coca-Cola chairman Neville Isdell and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Armstrong has dedicated his return to cycling to raising awareness about the fight against cancer. He plans to hold a summit of world leaders in Paris after the Tour.

“I cannot guarantee any tour victory, but I can guarantee the Livestrong message will touch all aspects of our society,” Armstrong said.

VARESE, Italy (AP) _ American cyclist Amber Neben rode to victory in the women’s time trial at the world championships on Wednesday, using her disappointing Olympics as motivation to surprise a field that included Beijing gold medalist Kristin Armstrong.Neben was not even picked to ride the individual race against the clock at the Beijing Games and put the effort of a whole season into the 13.76-mile ride through the sun-dappled hills surrounding the lakeside resort of Varese, finishing in 33 minutes, 51.35 seconds.

“I was just hoping that David would slay Goliath today,” she said.

Neben edged Austria’s Christiane Soeder of Austria by 7.56 seconds. Germany’s Judith Arndt, the 2004 road race champion, took bronze, 21.77 seconds behind the winner.

The 33-year-old Neben clinched the biggest win of her career after just missing the podium at last year’s world championships in Stuttgart, Germany, where she finished fourth.

Weeks later, she was diagnosed with a melanoma on her back. The cancer, however, was in the early stages and only required limited surgery that did not affect her racing.

Armstrong, Neben’s U.S. teammate, never mounted a challenge in her bid at a time trial double by adding a world title to her Olympic gold.

Neben was among the early starters and then had to sit anxiously and wait as all the favorites tried to beat her time.

“I tried not to get too excited before they all came through,” she said. “I was praying and waiting and hoping.”

After a disappointing Olympics in which she finished 33rd in the road race, she went back home to Irvine, Calif., to focus on the worlds.

“I had a lot of motivation left in me,” she said.

Neben won the race in the first, 4.2-mile uphill stretch, where she built an advantage of almost 20 seconds over Soeder. That proved more than enough to withstand a late charge from the Austrian.

Neben said she was fully centered on her performance and didn’t worry about her competitors.

“There is always going to be competition, but in a time trial like today you just focus on your own ride and try to get it done,” she said.

The men’s time trial was scheduled for Thursday, with the under-23 men’s road race on Friday. The championships conclude this weekend with the women’s road race on Saturday and the men’s road race on Sunday.

This weekend is a bike ride from Gettysburg, Pa. to New York City across three states over 275 miles with a goal of raising money for HIV/AIDS research and support. One team honors a Garrison favorite son, John Guinan, whose parents ran Guinan’s Country Store and Pub for nearly 50 years. For a decade, John Guinan each year rode his bike in this annual ride to raise money for AIDS, the disease that took the life of his brother-in-law. John Guinan became ill with brain cancer and on June 3 at 56, he died after a two-year battle. Team Guinan will be riding on his behalf.

Donations may be sent to Braking the Cycle, c/o Global Impact Productions, 127 W. 26th St., Suite 402, New York, NY 10001 or click here for more information. This year’s trip is Sept. 26-28 from Gettysburg, Pa., to New York City.

Last year Team Guinan raised $31,000.

Thanks to writer Barbara Nackman for this information.

Bobby Julich has announced his retirement after 15 years in the pro peloton on his website a few days ago, sadly on the same day the rumors of Lance Armstrong’s return to pro racing started. Again, Julich’s great career falls into the shadow of Lance. I’ve been a fan of Julich since meeting him at the K Mart Classic stage race in West Virginia in 1993. Bobby had raced in the Tour de DuPont in 1991 finishing 5th as part of the U.S. National Team. This accomplishment earned him the label of becoming the next Greg LeMond. His achievements didn’t reach that level but they would put him in the top five road racers from America behind Armstrong and LeMond and Andy Hampsted and on par with Levi Leiphiemer. (AP/Photo)
1992 was an Olympic year and still only open to armatures. Bobby was looking forward to representing the USA, but failed to earn a spot on the team with another up and coming rider, Lance Armstrong. 1992 and 93 were difficult years for Julich. He signed a contract to race on a new Rossin pro team in Europe and the team fell apart just before the start of the 93 season. Without a team he started the year paying his own way to races around the country. He was thinking of giving up but friends kept him going. One friend who recognized his talents was Two-time USPRO champion John Eustice who was helping organize pro teams coming to race in the US for the series of races leading up to the Pro Championships in Philadelphia. John’s contact’s with European teams landed him a spot on a small underfunded Portuguese team.
My job at these races was handing out race food and supplies to the teams, with extra care given to the visitors from Europe It was at the back of the truck that I got to speak with Bobby each night as he and his then girlfriend Angela as they picked up food to prepare to fill the teams musettes for the next stage. These two years humbled a cocky Julich and really focused him on his love of cycling. He did well staying with Lance in the last breakaway of the day in Philly as Lance went onto win the million dollar prize. These results got him a contract with the Chevrolet / L.A. Sheriffs team and back on track for his future as a top pro.
In 1996 and racing with Lance on the Motorola Cycling Team during the Olympic trails race in Pittsburg he got a huge scare. His heart rate jumped to extremely high levels, over 230 beats per minute during the race causing him to pull out and go to the hospital for tests. That night we talked briefly at the hotel and he was unsure of his body’s ability to handle the stresses of racing. He was already wondering if his career was over. The quick EKG and tests in Pittsburg gave doctors at Duke University the ability to diagnose his condition as an Re-entrant Supraventricular Tachycardia (RSVT) , an electrical problem with his heart. His doctors operated and fixed the problem allowing Julich to be back training in early the summer. So like two of America’s other great road worriers he faced a career ending physical problem. From not knowing if he’d race again to wearing the mountains jersey for ten day during the Veulta a Espana and a 9th pace finish overall. During an epic climbing stage in this race Julich showed his class and gained the respect of his peers when Russia’s Dimitri Konyshev body-checked him into a group of spectators. Bobby climbed back on his bike and sprinted to win the next KOM to hold the jersey another day.
Motorola closed up shop and Bobby followed Lance to the French team Cofidis. Lance’s medical troubles opened the door for Bobby to take on more of a leadership role on the team. In 1998 he became one of three American’s to stand on the Podium in Paris on the final Day of the Tour de France. This was no small feat finishing behind runner-up Jan Ulrich and winner Marco Pantani. This year was a climbers year and Julich was on his game, in his style of constant climbing pace and strong time-trailing ability. He’s not a sprinter or puncher, but pace and style on the saddle. This third place set him up as America’s hope for winning the Tour and teams scrambled to sign him. He signed with another French team Crédit Agricole. The pressure of leading the team in France was more then he could handle at that time, finishing 48th in the Tour in 1998.
During this time a friend, Mike Kolo ski, who does radio tour for many races in the US was vacationing in Europe. He had meet Bobby a few times in the over the years. They bumped into each other on a small rural town’s main street in France. Bobby invited Mike and his wife, Kathy to dinner with him and Angela. They enjoyed a few bottles of wine and terrific conversation. The fact that a top European pro would take time out for dinner with an American acquaintance again shows of the character of the man. I’d venture to say that Lance would have politely said hello and made a quick exit.
Next was two years with Team Telecom where the hope was top results but reality brought lowered expectations and the role of help.
Thoughts of retirement started to enter his mind, but a new team had entered the scene with a new idea on how to produce results. This team’s roots where in teamwork and not just a few stars and domestiques. A team that set goals for each rider to be the leader in races best suited to their riding talents. He liked the idea of that placed teamwork and teammates above the individual. Bjarne Riis saw the raw talent Julich had and knew the watts his peddle stokes could produce. The tour was placing more importance on team time trialing and Bobby would fit in perfectly towards winning the team winning the tour. In the meantime this approach aloud Bobby to plan for races he could win. And win he did within the unique system. In 2004 signs of his form and building confidence showed in his Bronze medal in the Olympic Time-Trial and other results. But 2005 became his best year with these results: First Overall, Paris-Nice, Stage 3 and Overall, Criterium International, LuK Challenge Chrono (with Jens Voigt), Stage 7 and Overall, Eneco Tour of Benelux, 4th Overall Tour de Georgia, and 17th Overall, Tour de France, but riding tempo for Runner-up Ivan Basso.
Here’s what Bobby had to say about his retirement on his website. ”Being on such a great team for so long, I know what it takes to be at the top level of this sport and realize that mentally I am not able to make the sacrifices that it takes to be there anymore. I have seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows during my career, but every moment has taught me many things and made me into the person that I am today.”
He goes on to talk about his future. “I hope to stay connected to the world of cycling because it has been my life and passion for 25 years, but I am also keeping my options open. To continue to work for Bjarne and the team in some way would be great and I would love it if that opportunity presented itself. The hardest part of leaving the crazy world of professional cycling will be having less contact with my team mates. The friendships that I have created here are hopefully life long, but I will miss the fun that we have together on the road. I would like to use this opportunity to say thanks to CSC, Saxo Bank and all my past sponsors for showing a kid from a small mountain town in Colorado the world, its people and the wonderful world of cycling.
Thanks also to all the fans and my supporters who have cheered me along all these years and hope to see you out on the weekend rides or bike paths.”
Team owner Bjarne Riis has lost some key assistant directors sportif’s this year and said this about Julich’s next step in his cycling career.
“Bobby has been one of the true cornerstones of the team from the day he joined us. A great athlete, a profound and intelligent guy and the perfect team mate. We have been extremely proud of and very happy about being part of the second life of Bobby’s career took on when he came to the team. He has been more than just a classy rider producing great results, but also a real mentor and a solid role model for our younger riders.”
“When Bobby and I talked about his future, I realized that the best thing I could do for him was to give him the time and liberty to consider and figure out what he wanted to do after stepping off the bike – instead of forcing him to race a full program for the rest of the season. I have the utmost respect for Bobby as a rider and as a person, and I would be honored if he would consider being part of the team in another role in the future”, Riis adds.
Looks to me Bobby Julich has not really retired from cycling at all, but getting a corner office behind the wheel of a team car where his knowledge of the races and ideas on teamwork will serve him and his riders well.
All the best Bobby, Becoming a Director Sportif will put the spotlight on you in a way Lance could never achieve. Best of luck.

This will be the first in a series of posts about different bike types. Hopefully it’ll provide a look at some of the different bikes available, but mostly photographing bikes and talking about bikes is part of my velo lust.

What is it? It’s a fixed gear Felt Curbside. It’s 18.75 pounds of pure cycling fun, with a candy-coated shell.

What’s a fixed gear? It’s a bicycle with a single gearing, and no coasting. The front chainring is directly connected to the chain, as is the rear, single cog. When the bike is moving, so are the pedals.

How do you stop? With a fixed gear, most of the stopping power is applied by pedaling backwards (or if you’re going slowly, just slowing your pedal stroke). Stopping is achieved by making one’s legs arrest the forward motion of the bike. This particular model (as is common with many fixed gears on the market) also has a front brake, which is handy with the hills in the area. It also had a rear brake, which is really only needed when the bike is set up as a single speed instead of a fixed gear. (The rear brake has been removed on this bike, so it’s not suitable for single speed riding.)

So what’s a single speed? A single speed bike operates like a standard bicycle, but there’s only one gear. This is because the rear cassette on the single speed side of the wheel rotates freely when coasting. To switch between fixed gear and single speed, you just undo the wheel and turn it around. Personally, if I’m going to ride single speed I’ll just ride my road bike and not shift gears.

Why on Earth is it that color? Well, that’s hard to explain. Fixed gear bikes are a lot of fun, and there’s something about this color scheme that’s just fun. Personally I think it’s one of the prettiest bikes I’ve ever seen. This is one of my personal rides and I fell in love with it, and bought it, the instant I saw it in NYC Velo in Manhattan.

Is fixed gear riding hard? It’s not much harder then pedaling a spin bike, you’ve just got to train your body to remember that you can’t coast. It is, however, one of the most enjoyable cycling experiences. There’s a direct connection with the bicycle that’s not possible with any other bike.

Does a fixed gear cost a lot? Nope, that’s one of the great things about fixed gear bikes, since there’s not a lot of components there’s not a lot of expense. A sold, steel fixed gear only costs a few hundred dollars.

Where can I get more information? This bike is listed on the Felt Bicycles site (http://www.feltracing.com/08/product.asp?catid=1537&pid=8717) and there’s a ton of information on fixed gear riding on fixedgeargallery.com.

There is still time to register for the Sunday, September 28th, 11th anniversary Bike MS ride. This ride includs crossing the Tappan Zee Bridge. Their goal of raising $400,000 from $1,000 area cyclists will help provide srevices and fund research to find a cure for the devastating effects of MS.

Use this link for more information and to register before Wednesday 9/24/08 for a cost of $30. TZ MS Ride. Day of event registration is $40.

See you out there!

Just saw this on the Rockland’ Bicycling Clu’s website in a post from Rita. Great info Thanks!

The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008
Contact Your United States Senator
We understand that the United States Senate may vote on an energy legislation package this week, (The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 ), which will provide a number of incentives to promote clean energy sources. The Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008, also includes the bicycle commuter tax benefit provision, previously introduced by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR). The provision provides for qualified bicycle commuting reimbursement for such reasonable expenses incurred by an employee for the purchase of a bicycle, bicycle improvements, repair, and storage. The Senate is expected to vote on this legislation either tomorrow Thursday, September 18, or Friday, the 19th. Please take a moment to contact your Senator to urge them to vote yes on the Energy Improvement and Extension Act of 2008 Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.

Here’s the link for more information from the League of American Bicyclists.

A group of Nyack firefighters have planned a marathon trip up to Albany on their bicycles to raise money for a firefighters’ memorial service. Here’s an article by staff writer Steve Lieberman about the trip and how the group has been prepping for the trip:

Steve Lieberman
The Journal News

SOUTH NYACK — Rich Gallo rides his bicycle almost daily now, topping 20 miles up and down hills and along straightaways.

He’s in a race to get in the best shape possible for a 130-mile bike ride next month to Albany.

Gallo, a Nyack firefighter, is one of about 11 volunteers with the Orangetown Fire Company planning to bicycle to Albany in an effort to raise money and awareness for the Oct. 7 annual Fallen Firefighters Memorial service.

So far, the intrepid bicyclists have raised more than $1,700 toward the estimated $9,000 cost for the annual service, said Brian Knecht, a former Nyack Department chief and one of the riders.

They plan to leave their Depot Place firehouse Oct. 5, two days before the Tuesday memorial service.

They know it will take more than strong hearts and loyalty to their cause to get them through. Strong legs and stamina will be needed to complete the task.

“That’s the biggest challenge,” said Gallo, 43, a Con Ed worker.

“This isn’t a monumental ride for people who do lots of riding,” he said. “People ride 80 miles a day like it’s nothing. We’re not bike riders, like that.”

Knecht came up with the idea for the Albany ride.

“A couple of guys started talking about getting back into shape and we had a common interest in biking,” Knecht said. “We thought about taking a nice long ride and stopping for a few beers and then someone picking us up and taking us home.”

Gallo had once talked about taking a bike ride to his parents’ home in the Belle Harbour neighborhood of Queens.

The casual talk turned into a mission to raise money for the annual memorial service when Knecht got a letter seeking donations for it.

“I thought how unfair it was that the committee needs money every year for a memorial service to honor firefighters who died helping others,” Knecht said. “I thought we should do something worthwhile. We decided we would take our time and ride to Albany.”

The Albany ride also commemorates the 175th anniversary of the Orangetown Fire Company in South Nyack. Orangetown is one of eight companies that make up the Nyack Fire Department. Knecht chairs the anniversary committee.

Each rider is looking to get 10 sponsors.

Helping with the ride is the Toga Bike Shop on Broadway in Upper Nyack. Two employees will ride with the firefighters; the shop’s also providing equipment and a van.

Many of the riders had old mountain bikes so they had to upgrade. Gallo and Knecht plunked down more than $1,000 for new bicycles. Some riders are borrowing bicycles or renting them from Toga.

“It’s a really good bike,” Gallo said. “I’m going to need all the help I can get.”

Like many of the other riders, Knecht is slowly building up his legs and stamina, riding up to 10 miles a day from Nyack to Haverstraw and back. He’s taken the wooded path from Nyack Beach State Park.

For the most part, they are training solo.

Bob Van Cura, a 30-year firefighter and the South Nyack-Grand View police chief, also is hustling to get into marathon riding shape. He’s been riding up to Rockland Lake and back, also concentrating on working the hills.

“I’ve been out riding, but a ride to Albany is a whole new ball of wax for me,” Van Cura said.

The riders have not completed their route to the state capital, though they probably will start by riding up Route 9W to Bear Mountain and heading to the east side of the Hudson River before continuing north. Crossing the river there, they said, they could avoid the hills Storm King area north of West Point.

They said they hoped to make it to Kingston on the first day and to rest overnight before heading to Albany.

“The idea is each rider will do legs of the ride and then rest,” Van Cura said. “We’ll always have at least two guys minimum riding.”

Laureen Gallo, who is married to Rich Gallo, got a big kick out of the idea for this marathon ride. Her father is penciled in as the driver of the support van.

“Richie has been doing great, training,” she said. “It would be great to see this actually happen. I’m staying home with the kids and holding down the fort here.”

Reach Steve Lieberman at slieberm@lohud.com or 845-578-2443.

How to help

If you want to donate, make a check out to the New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial Committee Inc. and send it to the committee:
c/o Orangetown Fire Company 1
90 Depot Place
South Nyack, NY 10960
The Albany-bound riders are Evan Cordaro, Steve Dizzine, Rich Gallo, Brian Knecht, Bill Motto, Ted Ryder, Jeff Scotto, B.J. Dellolio, Dr. Alwin Steinmann and Bob Van Cura, as well as Bevan Harris of the Toga bike shops in Upper Nyack and New York City.

For more information on the memorial click one of these three links. http://www.monument.fire-hero.com/ http://memorial.fire-hero.com/ http://www.dos.state.ny.us/fire/memorial/memorial.htm

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.Name of Product: Wolf SL Carbon Fiber Bicycle Forks
Units: About 5,800
Manufacturer: True Temper Composite Material Products Co. Ltd, of Guangzhou, China

Hazard: The forks steerer can break during normal use, causing the rider to lose control, fall and suffer serious injuries.

Incidents/Injuries: Cervelo has received 12 reports of forks cracking or breaking, resulting in one consumer suffering a broken wrist and another suffering minor abrasions.

Description: The recalled forks have a clear coating over black painted carbon fiber, with the words “Wolf Superlite” and related logo just below the crown on each fork leg, and the letters “SL” on each leg above the fork blade dropouts. There is a True Temper CRT™ logo on the inside of both fork legs. The recalled forks could have been included on the following bicycle models: R3, R3 SL, Soloist Carbon, Soloist Carbon SL, and certain P3 Carbon framesets and complete bicycles.

Sold by: Independent bicycle retailers nationwide from November 2005 through July 2007 for about $475.

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using bicycles equipped with the recalled forks and contact their authorized Cervélo dealer to have a free replacement fork installed.

Lloyd, in case you need more info – Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Cervélo toll-free at (866) 296-3137 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.cervelo.com/WolfSLRecall

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. Name of Product: Deda Forza Bicycle Handlebar Stems

Units: About 400

Manufacturer: Deda Elementi S.r.l., of Italy

Hazard: The top of the bicycle handlebar stem can crack and cause the rider to lose control, posing a crash hazard.

Incidents/Injuries: Deda Elementi has received four reports of incidents involving the handlebar stems. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The recall involves bicycles with Deda Forza high-gloss finish black carbon fiber handlebar stems in gloss finish. “Deda Forza” is printed on the handlebar stem. Deda Forza black carbon fiber handlebar stems in matte finish are not included in this recall. They will replace the stem with a Deda Zero 100 forged aluminum stem.

Sold at: Bicycle retailers nationwide from January 2008 through June 2008 on bicycles selling for between $4,300 and $8,700. The handlebar stems were also sold separately for about $400.

Manufactured in: Taiwan and Italy

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the bicycles equipped with the recalled Deda Forza handlebar stems and return them to the place of purchase to receive a free replacement handlebar stem.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Deda Elementi toll-free at (866) 514-5522 anytime, visit the firm’s Web site www.dedaelementi.com, or email the firm at dedusa@dedaelementi.com