BISSELL Pro Cycling (BPC) has compiled its eight-man roster for the 2008 Tour of Missouri. The team will field the majority of their successful 2008 Tour of California and Tour de Georgia squads, an aggressive group that is not afraid to challenge big league European teams.

Jacques-Maynes makes his return to the road after a warm-up in Greenville at the USA Pro Championship road race last Sunday. That race served as what Jacques–Maynes hoped would be a final effort to bring him back to form after a near two-month respite following a crash at the Cascade Cycling Classic that left him sidelined with a broken collar bone. (more…)

SUN VALLEY, Idaho and SAN CARLOS, Calif. - September 3, 2008 -
SCOTT USA and Ritchey Design today announced their co-sponsorship of the Elite men’s and women’s races at CrossVegas this month. In addition, both companies will be hosting a VIP retirement party at the races for Thomas Frischknecht to celebrate his incredible 19-year career as a World Cup competitor.

“CrossVegas, held in conjunction with Interbike, will arguably draw a huge crowd of cycling enthusiasts,” said Adrian Montgomery, marketing director for SCOTT USA. “It will be an amazing opportunity to take that population of cycling fans and entertain them, as well as commemorate the career of cycling’s greatest champion and sportsman, Thomas Frischknecht.”

The CrossVegas cyclocross event will take place on Wednesday, September 24 at the Desert Breeze Soccer complex in Las Vegas.

Scott-Swisspower athletes Thomas Frischknecht and Florian Vogel will compete in the Elite men’s race, which starts at 9:00 p.m. The VIP retirement party and an informal press conference with Frischknecht will be held immediately following the men’s race in the SCOTT and Ritchey booth.

“I am happy to have Scott and Ritchey, two top brands in the bike industry, involved in CrossVegas,” said Brook Watts, co-promoter and marketing director for CrossVegas, LLC. “We are especially honored to help Thomas celebrate his retirement by helping him compete in the last race of his career.”

During the informal press conference, Frischknecht will discuss his new role with the Scott-Swisspower Team, and SCOTT USA will debut its new Cyclocross line at the event, along with the new Addict CX. The Addict CX features a 986 gram carbon frame outfitted with Ritchey’s WCS cockpit components, straight CX carbon fork and Carbon 38 wheels. (more…)

SAN PIETRO DI STABIO, Switzerland - September 2, 2008 -

ASSOS® of Switzerland, designer and manufacturer of premium road cycling clothing, today announced the launch of ASSOS North America.

As part of the launch of ASSOS North America, the company has added four sales positions to cover the Northwest, Midwest, and Northeast territories with plans to add more. In addition, the company has opened and staffed a warehouse facility in Chicago, Illinois to handle all order fulfillment, and will soon open a subsidiary office close to New York City.

“The North American market is highly competitive with several players,” said Roche Maier, chief executive officer of ASSOS of Switzerland. “During the last four years overall sales growth for ASSOS has averaged around 30 percent. At this point in ASSOS’ growth, we need to personally manage the sales and marketing of our products. By opening a North American office, our goal is to improve our customer service to retailers and to continue to develop a well respected brand.”

In the early 1970s, ASSOS created the first Lycra™ cycling short and introduced it to the market through the then number one ranked road cycling team in the world, Ti-Raleigh Pro Cycling. ASSOS cycling clothing is known for its comfort, performance, durability and cult following.

Illinois-based Ochsner International, Inc. helped establish ASSOS in North America and has been its contracted distributor for the past 13 years. This relationship ended August 31, 2008, and ASSOS North America will now manage all sales and marketing efforts for the company.

“We are very thankful to Ochsner for helping establish ASSOS in North America,” Maier said.

Hans Bergman has been appointed general manager of ASSOS North America. Bergman joins the company with more than 15 years of experience launching, growing and managing premium brands within the leisure and sporting goods industries.

“Over the last few years, ASSOS products have appeared in shops that didn’t necessarily fit with the ASSOS premium brand image and product availability to retailers has been spotty,” Bergman said. “We are committed to improving product availability and shipments to our high-quality, full-service retailers, while at the same time firmly establishing the ASSOS premium brand in North America.”

Pat Flanagan will be vice president of sales & marketing for ASSOS North America. Flanagan most recently was senior vice president of sales & marketing for Best Bikes USA. Before his position with Best Bikes USA, Flanagan held sales and operations positions with such companies as ZOIC clothing, In Motion Inc., and Clif Bar.

For sales orders and questions, please contact Pat Flanagan at 760-277-0398 or patflanagan@ASSOS.ch. For more information about ASSOS of Switzerland, please visit www.ASSOS.com.

While sitting in a cycling chat room watching the US Pro
Championships this weekend, it was noticeable that there still exists
a strong animosity towards Tyler Hamilton. He seems to still be a
polarizing force within the cycling world—years after his alleged
doping. When he won the stars n’ bars on Sunday, many were cheering
him on. An equal number (if not more) groaned in protest. The latter
is unfortunate. He won the race by working hard and riding
strategically. Garmin easily outnumbered Rock, and with three
“Burrito Boys” finishing in the top four, Tyler had to use
insight, patience, and a well-timed sprint to take the victory in a
photo-finish.

So why is Tyler’s name still controversial? The thirty-seven year
old rider got his professional cycling start in 1995 with an early US
Postal Service. After serving as a lieutenant to Lance, Tyler became a
GC contender in his own right with Team CSC. Here, he met with great
success….and numerous injuries. Two of his biggest with the Danish
team were in fact with severe injuries—2nd place in the 2002 Giro
with a fractured shoulder and a stage win/4th overall in the 2003 Tour
with a cracked collarbone. Up to this point, many considered Hamilton
a hero.

The next year, Tyler rode for the now-defunct Phonak team, and this
marked the beginning of his fall from grace in the eyes of many in the
public. At the start of the year, Hamilton’s hemoglobin to red blood
cell count was high—but just beneath the suspendable amount. This
same test seemed to indicate the presence of someone else’s blood in
his bloodstream, but neither of these, at the time, warranted
suspension. Then, Hamilton won the gold medal at the Athens Olympics
in the TT. On September 20, 2004, it was announced that he failed a
test for blood doping. It wasn’t until June 27, 2006, that CAS
finally decided Hamilton got to keep his medal—but that was due
largely to the fact that his second sample, having been frozen by the
Athens lab, could not be tested. Many see this as a mere technicality.
The announcement on September 20, however, followed Hamilton’s
leaving the Vuelta just six days after winning the Stage 8 TT. He had
been notified by the UCI that his two samples from that victory were
suspicious. These four incidents were enough to be sentenced to a
two-year ban by the USADA in April, 2005. He appealed to CAS a month
later where his lawyers issued the now infamous Chimera defense. It
failed, and he was banned until September 22, 2006.

Just as his suspension was about to run out, on June 26, 2006,
Operacion Puerto reared its head. A Madrid newspaper claimed evidence
existed that Hamilton had paid for EPO from Dr. Fuentes. He vehemently
denied these allegations, but a few months later, newspapers in
Denmark and Belgium published details of Hamilton’s alleged doping.
In response, USA Cycling referred a new disciplinary case to USADA.

Meanwhile, Hamilton was hired by Tinkoff Credit Systems. The team
stood by him until La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Hamilton was
one of the cyclists Spanish authorities named on Dr. Fuentes’ client
list. He was dropped from the Giro start list, and, according to his
website, Hamilton was asked to sign a new contract before he would be
permitted to ride again. He sued…and lost.

He rode as a free agent for the rest of the year, most-importantly in
the 2007 US Pro National Champs where he finished 6th in the TT and
12th in the RR. A few months later, Rock Racing signed Tyler. Though
the Tour of California did not permit him to ride, Rock used Tyler in
many races. In truth, Rock says he has more racing-days this year than
any other team member. His most important victory of the 2008 season
was the overall win in the Tour of Qinghai Lake—until today’s
victory in the National Championships.

With this history, it is understandable why some cycling fans are
skeptical. He seemed to be this great American hero. Then, all these
allegations started swirling, and many felt betrayed and confused.
It’s the “fool me once” mentality. This being said, with all the
racing he’s had this year, his tests have all come back clear.
Critics will read into this what they will. Some will feel the jersey
to be tainted. But, the fact is he served his time. What illegitimate
behaviors he may have done in the past are just that….in the past.
Tyler seems to be making an effort to come back strong and prove to
everyone that he is a great rider, capable of winning clean. Qinghai
Lake was the first major step in this quest…the National
Championships is the next. Some fans will never be swayed. Others have
stated that if he just admitted to past indiscretions they could move
on. But, for some fans, this year has been a pivotal watershed.
Without any brashness, Tyler has ridden his heart out on his bike.
This weekend was no exception. I have been to races this year where
fans have jeered for him. In response, Tyler’s just ridden harder,
letting his legs be his defence. That takes courage, and for that, he
deserves the respect appropriate to the US National Road Race
champion.

Jamie Naragon

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., August
29, 2008 –  With Tom Zirbel sitting in the hot seat, the US Individual Time Trial Championship came down to last man through the gate and a difference of  a mere five seconds.  That five second difference, however, came from defending US ITT Champion and one of the world’s best against the clock, Dave Zabriskie.

The resounding message of the day however, as Zirbel unseated the ever-strong Garmin-Chipotle team who’d put Christian Vandevelde, Steven Cozza and Tom Danielson in first, second and third, respectively, was that Zirbel – a two-year pro to Zabriskie’s nine  - can threat and win on any given day.

At the first time check of the 20.9 km three-lap course, Zabriskie held a seven second gap over Zirbel; at time check two that difference had grown to 13 seconds but at the line, Zirbel had pulled it back to within five, part of his overall strategy plan.

“I planned to go out slower so that was all working to plan when the Glen [Mitchell, D.S.] radioed up,” Zirbel explained at the press conference. “This is really one of the only thirty plus minute time trials we do all year and I knew it was going to come down to which of us would be the toughest on the third lap.”

While Zirbel recognized that the only guy to beat him on this day is “one of the best in the world and it’s a significant step-up” he had nonetheless set his goals higher. “I expected to be on the top step; I had the opportunity but I didn’t quite capitalize on it,” he said, “but I have to contribute that to Dave’s class and his toughness.  At the moment, I’m a little bit disappointed, “Zirbel added, “but as time passes, I’ll be a little bit more content.”

Finishing out in the top ten today at 2’19” back with a superb effort that had him struggling to catch his breath when it was all over was BISSELL Pro Cycling’s super domestique Scott Swizanski.  “I’m happy with my effort; it was hot and humid and the course was relentless,” Swizanksi explained. “There just wasn’t really any place to catch a breath.”  He continued, “The team support and equipment was top notch.  We don’t get to do many TTs of this length during the season, so I feel like I have a lot of room for improvement for next years national TT but I’m definitely finishing this day with a positive feeling toward that improvement.”  Twenty-three seconds behind Zwizanski in fourteenth was his teammate and 2007 U-23 TT Runner-Up, Graham Howard.

-continued-

US Pro ITT Results
BISSELL Pro Cycling

“It wasn’t an easy day in the humidity but even so the guys feel strong this weekend and it shows,” elaborated Director Sportif Glen Mitchell. “Tom’s been working incredibly hard for this day; we know he wanted that top step. But that’s bike racing, and if he didn’t want it that badly, he wouldn’t be doing his job a hundred percent. Someone has to be second but if you’re going to come in second only to Zabriskie, well, that’s a pretty awesome ride, we’ll take it and we are thrilled with his effort today.”