Armstrong's Trek time trial bike had been stolen.

DAVIS – Lance Armstrong’s distinctive time-trial bike was stolen sometime Saturday night, and the cycling legend is offering an unspecified reward for its safe return.

"There is only one like it in the world therefore hard to pawn it off. Reward being offered," Armstrong wrote on the Twitter page he uses to keep fans abreast of news as he competes in the Amgen Tour of California.

The bike was stolen from the Team Astana truck during the night before Stage 1 of the Tour of California.

Picture and news from sfexaminer

Sad tragedy of Jeremy Lusk

from espn

Jeremy Lusk, a Freestyle motocross star and 2008 X Games gold medalist, died Tuesday from head injuries sustained riding in an event in Costa Rica. He was 24.

Lusk was injured Saturday when he failed to complete a full rotation while attempting a Hart Attack backflip on his bike and slammed headfirst into the dirt. He underwent surgery to relieve swelling on his brain, but his condition worsened Monday.

FMX star Jeremy Lusk died at age 24 on Tuesday.
Lusk crashed in almost identical fashion in the freestyle semifinals at the 2007 X Games but was unhurt. Last March, while preparing for the Moto X World Championships, Lusk said he didn't attempt the Hart Attack backflip for months after his X Games crash.

"I was a little scared of it," he said.

Lusk enjoyed a successful 2008 season, during which he won Freestyle gold at the X Games, silver in Best Trick when he landed the first double grab Hart Attack backflip, and a bronze helmet in Freestyle at the Moto X World Championships. He also won both Freestyle and Best Trick last September at X Games Mexico and finished third overall in Freestyle on the '08 Dew Tour. A San Diego native, Lusk is survived by his wife, Lauren.

Australian DH Championship 2009

News, pictures and the rather funny captions :P taken from littermag

Comeback king, Mick Hannah, is the Australian National Champion. Though it was announced he was on GT last week, he was riding the Mongoose gear. He’s been off the bike for over a year, doing his own thing. If this is what he can do with a few weeks of riding, just wait until the World Cup season.

Mick Hannah takes the win over Jared Graves at the 2009 Australian National Championships in Canberra. Temperatures were in the millions of degrees and even the kangaroos where found taking a break at the local pub. The course used on Mt. Stromlo is the same track that will host the 2009 UCI World Champs, so you know this was a testing session for everyone. Many heavy hitters showed up, but Mick rode it home after a year-long absense. Kinda makes you wonder if those who committed last year, felt cheated this year.

Top 10, courtesy of Farkin.net:
1. Mick Hannah - 2:48.62
2. Jared Graves - 2:48.91
3 (tie) Ben Cory - 2:53.82
3 (tie) Amiel Cavalier - 2:53.82
5. Rick Boyer - 2:55.44
6. Bryn Atkinson - 2:55.77
7. Kaine Cannan - 2:55.94
8. Will Rischbieth - 2:56.15
9. Joshua Button - 2:57.10
10. Sam Hill - 2:57.53
Elite Women:
1. Emmeline Ragot - 3:15.59
2. Julia Boer - 3:27.89
3. Claire Whiteman - 3:29.53

It was hot this year for the Nationals at Canberra. So hot you could fry an egg on the rocks. Lucky there are hundreds of Kangaroos on Mt Stromlo, and if you’re hungry, all you have to do is raid a Kangaroo nest for their eggs and you have an instant meal.

Sam Hill has gone with black for the new season’s colors. Black may be slimming to those with a spare tire, like Gordo, but a note to team manager Sean Heimdahl, black sucks when shooting photos in the forests of Europe. Maybe it’s a strategic decision. Sam will be more camoflauged in the woods, so riders can’t poach his lines.

Sam and Brendan are running 2010 RockShox Boxxers on their race bikes. Part of their race kits included 2010 Calvin Klein Boxers. They’re stoked on the rebound of their underwears, but the compression isn’t totally what they’d hoped for. They’ve been doing R&D with Marky Mark. So it is one underwear or a pair of underwears? The saga continues…

Picture of the Week

Picture from a friend's facebook. Saw this on martyz'sflickr

June 2, 2008
A car plowed into a weekend bike race along a highway near the U.S.-Mexico border, killing one and injuring 10 others, police said.

The 28-year-old driver was apparently drunk and fell asleep when he crashed into the race, said police investigator Jose Alfredo Rodriguez.

A photograph taken by a city official showed bicyclists and equipment being hurled high into the air by the collision.

Rodriguez said Juan Campos was charged with killing Alejandro Alvarez, 37, of Monterrey.

Authorities said the wreck happened 15 minutes into the 34-kilometer (21 mile) race Sunday along a highway between Playa Bagdad and Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas.

Rachel Atherton collides with car in training accident

2008 women’s downhill mountain bike world champion Rachel Atherton was involved in a training accident with a car on January 19th, sustaining a dislocated shoulder and cuts to the face.
For complete story from bikeradar click here
We hope she's OK and able to compete in world cup next April.

2009 World Mountain Bike Racing Calender

pic from mtbworldcupsa

Compiled by: Ed Arnet

WORLD CUP XC SERIES
Apr 11-12, World Cup XC 1, Pietermaritzburg, RSA
Apr 25-26, World Cup XC 2, Offenburg, Ger
May 2-3, World Cup XC 3, Houffalize, Bel
May 23-24, World Cup XC 4, Madrid, Spn
Jul 25-26, World Cup XC 5, Mont-Saint-Anne, Can
Aug 1-2, World Cup XC 6, Bromont, Can
Sep 12-13, World Cup XC 7, Champery, Swi
Sep 19-20, World Cup XC 8, Schladming, Aut
http:/www.uci.ch/

WORLD CUP 4X SERIES
Apr 11-12, World Cup 4X 1, Pietermaritzburg, RSA
May 2-3, World Cup 4X 2, Houffalize, Bel
May 16-17, World Cup 4X 3, Vallnord, And
Jun 6-7, World Cup 4X 4, Fort William, GBr
Jun 20-21, World Cup 4X 5, Maribor, Slo
Jul 25-26, World Cup 4X 6, Mont-Saint-Anne, Can
Aug 1-2, World Cup 4X 7, Bromont, Can
Sep 19-20, World Cup 4X 8, Schladming, Aut
http:/www.uci.ch/

WORLD CUP DH SERIES
Apr 11-12,World Cup DH1, Pietermaritzburg, RSA
May 9-10,World Cup DH 2, La Bresse, Fra
May 16-17, World Cup DH 3, Vallnord, And
Jun 6-7, World Cup DH 4, Fort William, GBr
Jun 20-21, World Cup DH 5, Maribor, Slo
Jul 25-26, World Cup DH 6, Mont-Saint-Anne, Can
Aug 1-2, World Cup DH 7, Bromont, Can
Sep 19-20, World Cup DH 8, Schladming, Aus
http:/www.uci.ch/

from mbaction

Lance Armstrong to be a papa again, girlfriend expecting baby

from bicycle.net

LOS ANGELES, Dec 23, 2008 (AFP) -

Embattled cycling star Lance Armstrong finally has some good news in his life as the seven time Tour de France winner is expecting a baby with his girlfriend, CNN reported on Tuesday.

Cancer survivor Armstrong and Anna Hansen are expecting in June, the American broadcaster reported. It would be the fourth child for Armstrong.

“Anna and I are thrilled to confirm that we are expecting in June and our families are ecstatic and grateful,” Armstrong said. “We are very much looking forward to what 2009 brings on many fronts. We appreciate respecting our privacy, as we are both eager to celebrate the holidays as a family.”

The 37-year-old American Armstrong has three children from his previous marriage with Kristin Richards.

After being diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996, Armstrong underwent chemotherapy treatment as the cancer spread to other parts of his body.

The children with his ex-wife were conceived using sperm Armstrong stockpiled prior to his cancer treatment.

It was initially thought the chemotherapy would leave him unable to have further children.

This time the couple are expecting without the use of artificial fertilization, CNN said.

Armstrong retired in 2005 but announced in September he was going to make a comeback. In order to get ready for the 2009 Tour de France, he plans to race in the Giro d’Italia and Australia’s Tour Down Under.

News of his return has drawn mixed reviews in cycling circles.

Armstrong has been accused of doping practices on several occasions, most notably in an article in French sports newspaper L’Equipe in 2005, claiming six urine samples from his 1999 Tour victory contained the blood-boosting drug EPO.

Armstrong has always denied doping and the international cycling body cleared him in 2006.

Armstrong complained last week that he is being targeted by international drug testers before being ruled eligible to return to competition.

Armstrong claims to have been drug tested 11 times in the past 19 weeks and twice in the same week this month. The latest test was conducted by officials from the International Cycling Union on Thursday at his Texas home.

“UCI control. They flew a guy from Germany for it. That makes a ton of sense,” Armstrong wrote on Twitter, a social networking website.

Armstrong was placed under a six-month probation period by the United States Anti-doping Agency at the beginning of August.

Armstrong needs to pass USADA’s out-of-competition testing pool before his cycling comeback can become official.

File Photo: CorVos Pro