Derby Mercury

This article originally appeared on Cyclingnews.com

Contract between Contador and Saxo Bank over

Saxo Bank team manager Bjarne Riis has annulled the contract between his team and Alberto Contador following the decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport to hand him a two-year ban and strip him of the 2010 Tour de France title.

"When Alberto is not able to ... ride for the team, the contract cannot continue. I think that's pretty obvious," Riis said at a press conference in Madrid. Later, he added that he would be happy to work with again Contador in the future.

Contador said in his statements that while the contract is over for now, he would give Saxo Bank the first chance to sign him when he returns to competition on August 5, but that he is now a free agent.

Riis said that while he and the team had hoped for a different outcome of the arbitration, he would not have changed how they'd acted in response.

"We have asked ourselves many times during this case, could we as a team have done things any differently? I really don't think we could have done things differently than what we have done trying to support every one of our riders," Riis said.

Contador had signed a contract with the Saxo Bank team prior to learning of his positive test result for clenbuterol in a sample taken on the second rest day of the 2010 Tour. He was provisionally suspended by the UCI until the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) decided not to punish him for the positive on February 15, 2011.

The CAS announced its decision yesterday, after hearing appeals from the UCI and WADA, to suspend Contador from the time of his notification in August 2011 for two years.

"We inherited this case, and we patiently waited for a decision," Riis said, adding a justification as to why Contador continued to compete despite having the spectre of the UCI and WADA appeals of the decision hanging over him. "All along, we followed the rules and because Alberto was cleared [by the RFEC in early 2011], he was able to ride."

Riis said that, as in the RFEC's decision to allow Contador to race, he and the team have to respect this new decision by the CAS, but vowed to continue to support Contador "one hundred per cent".

He referred to the written CAS decision, saying that the appearance of clenbuterol in Contador's system most likely was the result of a contaminated supplement and "was unlikely to have anything to do with conscious cheating".

Contador maintains innocence regarding doping violation

This article originally appeared on Cyclingnews.com

Alberto Contador and Bjarne Riis

Alberto Contador, accompanied by his spokesman Jacinto Vidarte and Saxo Bank team manager Bjarne Riis, conducted a press conference today in his hometown of Pinto, Spain to discuss Monday's CAS decision in which the Spaniard's positive doping violation from the 2010 Tour de France was upheld.

Contador was banned for two years, backdated to his positive result in 2010, and will be eligible to compete again on August 5, 2012.

"The way I feel right now is deceived," said Contador. "My dreams have collapsed and my morale right now is very confused. There hasn't been one morning when I haven't asked myself how this happened.

"The hardest thing for me is how it's touched my family, people saying I'm guilty and talking of justice and injustice."

Contador continued to stress his innocence and expressed bafflement about the verdict to ban him for doping.

"I can't understand the final verdict," said Contador. "I've gone through everything, spent hours going over things. If there's anything I can do to prove my innocence I'll do it. There are many things that I cannot understand about this decision but for the moment I want to keep them to myself. I'm not an expert."

Contador was effusive in his praise of the support he's received since his positive test came to light in 2010, from family, friends and his team.

"I'd like to express my satisfaction will all the support. It's unbelievable all the support I've had since this has started. There have been months when I couldn't sleep, months where I wanted to stay at home and not ride a bike.

"There are many things I could say, but it's a decision that each of you has to decide on this verdict. This is going to follow me for many, many years."

The Spaniard was critical of the length of time it took for a final decision to be made and remained resolute that he would compete again once his ban expires this August.

"What has happened to me is not something I'd want to happen to anybody," said Contador. "For the good of cycling and sport in general this has to be faster. It cannot last as long as it has. I think it is very important and people need to work on this. I'll keep fighting until the end. The decision is now for the lawyers to look at. We're looking at all possibilities.

"I'm sure of one thing. I want to come back to ride the best races. I'll train clean as I've always done. Right now even though my morale is low I know I'll come back just as strong."

The City of Charleston and the South Carolina Department of Transportation have closed the James Island Connector, a truncated segment of Interstate 526, to bicyclists and pedestrians. While not an official bike route, local law enforcement never actively kept cyclists and pedestrians from using the route.

The JIC as it is known locally was constructed 18 years ago, and while lacking a true bike lane, it has been used — as the name suggests — as a connector from the mainland to the island community. While bicyclists and pedestrians were never “encouraged” to use it, the locals say it was more of a turning a “blind eye” approach that actually worked reasonably well, at least until a recent accident that resulted in the death of a 54-year old cyclists last summer.

Now signs are posted that state that those violating the law could face fines and jail time, and according to Tom Bradford of Charleston Moves those signs could make the route more dangerous to riders. “The signs could give the more unruly motorist on the JIC the go ahead that they can do something bad to a cyclist,” Bradford told BikeRadar. “The sense of danger is heightened because of it.”

Local riders admit that the JIC is far from ideal, but there are few alternative options for cyclists to get to James Island. “There really isn't any totally safe route to James Island, the ‘Connector’ represents the safest option to use and the best way to travel between Charleston and James Island, and it is used frequently by cyclists,” says J. Michael Salley, President of Coastal Cyclists of Charleston.

He tells BikeRadar that this new development regarding the ban has already drawn a great deal of attention to the issue. “The cycling community has already begun to mobilize and is currently deciding the best response to this situation,” said Salley. “The Board of the Coastal Cyclists has just recently formed our Advocacy Committee for the sole purpose of responding to these types of issues. This Committee will interface with and fully support the activities of the numerous organizations who work on the advocacy side of the equation.”

Local law enforcement will now enforce the prohibition on the JIC, which leaves essentially no option for local cyclists

For the meantime local cyclists have no option, Bradford says that for many individuals who depend on a bicycle are essentially stranded. The only alternative route for riders is actually the Wappoo Cut Bridge, which Bradford said he wouldn’t ride. He had noted that even as an experienced rider he found the skinny sidewalks very close to traffic as being worse than the JIC.

The irony, according to locals, is that Charleston has made great strides otherwise to become more bicycle friendly. The city currently is currently a League of American Bicyclists Bronze Level City.

There are other problems including infrastructure, according to Salley, but the bigger issue is the perception of cyclists by those who don’t ride. “We need a sort of ‘cultural reorientation’ to change the perceptions and attitudes of the broader community regarding cycling and more importantly, the role that exercise plays in creating a healthier lifestyle for all of us," he said. "Many times, we cyclists are looked upon with a certain degree of scorn and sometimes, animosity. We in the cycling community, realize our obligation to do all that we can to change these perceptions, and we are committed to working toward that end.”

Perhaps with that change, roads won’t be closed and viable routes will be open, said Bradford.

With Cannondale’s CAAD series bikes taking care of race business, the Synapse family is designed to deliver a smoother, more mileage-friendly ride; the 5 proves that doesn’t have to mean a dull and unresponsive experience.

• Highs: Springy and comfortable frame, carbon fork, compact drop cockpit and upright position for long distance comfort, but still delivering decent power
• Lows: Pedalling bounce can get intrusive when you’re really hammering, and handling is slightly twitchy
• Buy if: You want a clean looking, comfortably sprung yet still usefully responsive and lively feeling bike for longer rides rather than head down hammering

The Synapse 5's tall, integrated-headset head tube sets up a naturally high-rise position regardless of how many spacers are in the stack. It’s also a relatively short reach frame to emphasise sat up comfort rather than flat out aero speed; the shallow drop compact bar means you can still get your head down if you want, but it’s still naturally a lover not a fighter.

The extensive tube working is visually obvious in the lacquered raw alloy finish and it’s equally obvious in the ride too. The tapering top ube, hourglassed, curved and double tapered SAVE seatstays and centrally flattened chainstays add significant amounts of spring and cushioning to the rear end, and the blade-to-round-section carbon fork legs do a similar job up front.

Even though it’s only a carbon wrap over an alloy shaft, the fact that the seatpost is a skinny 27.2mm diameter also adds flex. The result is a genuinely floated and comfortable ride that skims over rough sections and sucks the sting out of potholes. 

The 25mm Schwalbe tyres are both usefully surefooted for their price and increase comfort too, which helps confidence when cornering. Though the steering geometry is well balanced, the tall, non-tapered fork and ductile overall frame feel don’t produce pin sharp handling when you’re pushing it. 

While it might feel softer than some through your gloves and shorts, the Synapse still feels usefully sharp and responsive through the pedals. An average chassis and wheel weight mean it doesn’t leap out of the blocks like a CAAD10, but the BB30 bottom bracket and chunky stays transmit power well enough to keep it enjoyably competitive on summits or village sign sprints. 

The springy frame can create a pedal bounce effect if you’re really grunting a gear round, though, and we occasionally had to ‘break step’ to calm it down. Compact gears and a reasonably wide ratio cassette mean you’ll normally have a spinnable ratio to hand and the overall feel is lively, agile and encouraging.

This article was originally published in Cycling Plus magazine.

Twice as many exhibitors have been confirmed for the second Scottish Bike Show compared to this time last year.

It will be again staged at Glasgow’s SECC, from Friday 13 to Sunday 15 April, and has so far attracted over 20 companies, including Upgrade Bikes (distributor of Pivot Cycles and Kinesis) retailers Alpine Bikes and Pedal Power, and Continental.

With the success of last year’s inaugural event, show organisers have moved to add an extra day to proceedings and increase hall space by 1,200 square metres. All three days are open to the public, who’ll be able to buy new bikes and accessories throughout the exhibition hall.

Exhibitors apart, the indoor test track and forest trail will return, with the latter now twice the size and offering a choice of easy, medium and tricky routes to demo the latest mountain bikes on. The BSD Forever crew will again be pulling off stunts in the BMX street park and there's a new addition to the event in the form of the Scottish Bike Show Sportive. There'll be a choice of the challenge route (£21, 65 miles, 1,558m climbing) or a sportive route (£25, 100 miles, 1,797m), taking in the countryside in the area around Loch Lomond. You can view maps and profiles here.

BikeRadar readers can get discounted entry to the show by clicking here. Pricing starts at £8 for adults, £6 for children and £22 for a family of four. For more information on the show, visit the event website.

The Bel Air is something of a modern classic, with a swoopy shape and distinctive dropped nose that's stood the test of time. Padding is in the mid-range for firmness and a central channel keeps pressure from your parts. Kevlar panels extend down much of the length of the sides to ward off scuffs.  

If you're of the opinion that saddles should be plain black then you won't be interested in the range of eight colour schemes that the Bel Air can be had in, but if you want to have a bit of fun with the look of your bike then SDG's camo or snakeskin designs will be right up your street. If you want the classic Bel Air shape for fewer pennies, less expensive titanium alloy and chromoly railed versions are available.

This article was originally published in What Mountain Bike magazine.

Swiss firm Sponser have been in the sports nutrition game for two decades and sponsor a whole raft of athletes, from former mountain biking cross-country world champion Christoph Sauser to tennis player Maria Sharapova. They split their products into three categories; Energy, Power and Fit & Well, and it's samples of the first two which have reached us from new UK distributors Everest Sports Ltd. 

First up is the Competition drink, a lightly flavoured powder with added electrolytes and a neutral pH that makes it gentle on the stomach during exercise. Each 1kg tub is available in banana/citrus/raspberry/neutral flavours, costs £17.50 and contains 233kJ per 60g serving. On the gel and bar front, there's the honey flavoured Liquid Energy gel in a toothpaste-style tube, which makes it easier to open and close than traditional packaging.

Each 70g tube contains 210 Calories, while there is also a Plus version (200 Cal), with added caffeine (50mg) and taurine. Both contain two servings and we were fans of both the flavour and the ease-of-use packaging, which allows you to close it up and stash it away in your jersey until next time. They each come as singles (£1.99) or packs of 20 (£38.99).

The High Energy Bars (45g) in Apricot-Vanilla and Berry flavours, contain 155kJ with a 62/10 percent carbohydrate/protein ratio. Berry is a particular favourite, with its yoghurt-like texture, and both retail for £1.25 each or £37.50 for 30. The Protein Snack bar, in chocolate/caramel, contains 16g of the muscle building stuff - plus 13g carbs - making them ideal post-ride fodder. They cost £1.49 or £34.99 per 24. Finally, the cranberry Energy Plus bars (£1.49 each/£21.99 per 15) are packed with cereal and are meant to replenish your depleted stores of energy once your back at home. Visit their UK website for more information.

QimmiQ

QimmiQ energy gels are rather novel, partly because of the stuff that goes into each sachet but mainly because of the sachet itself. The makers of QimmiQ, which puzzlingly translates to dog in Inuit, have traditionally produced jam so they’ve tried to transfer what they know into the energy gel market.

Each 12g serving of our raspberry flavour sample contains all-natural ingredients, including 23 percent fruit concentrates, honey and Himalayan Pink salt, or rock salt to you and me. It has an unmistakable jam flavour, extremely tart and rich. The real surprise is in the packaging, which is a plastic, credit card style card that secretes gel when snapped in two, apparently a solution to the problem of mess created in conventional gel sachets. Each serving contains 7.1g of carbs and 30 Cal and contains no artificial colours or flavourings.

These 12g sachets will retail at £23.99 for 30 from their website now. Full production gels are expected to have a fill weight of 17g, with pricing to be confirmed. For now they’ll only be offering the raspberry flavour but are looking to expand the range early in the New Year with other sweet, and possibly a savoury option. Drinks, bars and powder are all in the pipeline, too. Visit their website for more information.

Taking a leaf out of Martyn Ashton’s book, the guys from Arizona-based Fair Wheel Bikes have been trying to find out how capable a carbon fibre road bike is as a trials machine.

They came up with the idea several years ago but put it on the backburner when they saw our video of Ashton doing something similar in the run-up to BikeRadar Live in 2010. With some time free over Christmas, they felt the time was now ripe to make their own edit.

"Several years ago we posted a brake review on our blog," said Fair Wheel's Jason Woznick. "When talking about raw stopping power we mentioned that we tested this by how hard we had to squeeze the brakes to get up on the front wheel and do a few wheel hops. Someone mentioned that they’d love to see a video of that. We tossed around the idea for a bit and then got sidetracked with other things.  

"A year or so later BikeRadar released their video of Martyn Ashton doing something similar on a road bike, so at that point we shelved the idea. I just wasn’t able to completely let the idea go so we waited a year or two from that release and then decided to see what we could come up with. Unfortunately we had only two three-hour sessions over the Christmas break to do the shooting so a lot of what we wanted to do was never included. We’ll save that for the next one."  

Riding in the video are former Fair Wheel employee Tony Roth, who has plenty of experience on the road, and his brother Ricky, who'd only ridden a road bike once before. They used NeilPryde Alize frames that were specced as they would be for road riding, except with wider 28c Continental Top Contact tyres. 

Woznick said the main companies supplying equipment for the shoot – Shimano, ENVE Composites, NeilPryde and Tune – were fully behind the idea and had no doubts about their kit holding up to the rigors of stunts. Were they right? For the most part, yes. 

One pinch flat, a chipped fork (caused by the crash at the end of the video) and a couple of slightly bent chainring teeth aside, there was no damage to speak of, and both bikes are still being used on a daily basis. You can check out the video below:

Courtesy of Fair Wheels Bikes

And to see why they originally shelved their idea, here's our video of Martyn Ashton pushing his Raleigh Avanti Team to its limits on his way to Brands Hatch:

Bike 1 specification

• Frame: Neil Pryde Alize, black
• Stem: ENVE Composites
• Handlebar:  ENVE Composites
• Brakes: EE Cycleworks
• Saddle: Tune Concorde
• Cranks: EE Cycleworks
• Derailleurs/shifters: Shimano Dura-Ace Di2
• Chain: KMC X10SL
• Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace
• Wheels: ENVE Composites 45/65 clinchers, Tune hubs, Tune DC 14 skewers
• Tires: Continental Top Contact, 28c
• Inner tubes: Michelin latex

Bike 2 specification

• Frame: Neil Pryde Alize, blue
• Stem: PRO (exact model not specified)
• Handlebar:  PRO (exact model not specified)
• Brakes: Shimano Dura-Ace
• Saddle: Specialized Toupe
• Cranks: Shimano Dura-Ace
• Derailleurs/shifters: Shimano Dura-Ace 7900
• Chain: Shimano Dura-Ace
• Cassette: Shimano Dura-Ace
• Wheels: Shimano Dura-Ace C50
• Tires: Continental Top Contact, 28c
• Inner tubes: Michelin latex

This kind of money often doesn't get you a whole lot in a cycling shoe but Specialized's Elite Road packs in a remarkable amount of performance and a fantastic fit. More discerning cyclists may want a carbon fiber sole but for everyone else, this is all the shoe you'll ever need.

Despite the bargain price, overall fit quality rivals shoes costing much more. Heel hold is very secure without feeling overly confining, the upper is pleasantly tight through the midsection, and the toe box is just roomy enough to wiggle your little piggies around during a ride as needed.

Specialized infuse even this value-oriented model with their full complement of Body Geometry features. Outstanding full-length arch support is built right into the sole and won't pack out over time, the central bump in the insole helped keep our toes from falling asleep on longer rides, and yes, there's a bit of varus wedge built into the forefoot.

Opinions vary on whether varus correction is necessary on such a comprehensive scale but regardless, it makes for a noticeable difference in pedaling action versus flatter designs and it's easy to neutralize if it doesn't work for you.

The Road Elite shoes do without the fancy one-piece upper of the top-end S-Works model but the conventional synthetic-and-mesh construction is admirably supple and managed to conform to our feet without feeling unstably floppy or stretchy. The generous mesh panels use a very open mesh so ventilation is superb – we could feel air swirling around our toes during test rides and had to at least use toe covers in temperatures as warm as 10°C (50°F).

One key cost-cutting measure is the fiber-reinforced nylon sole, which isn't as light, stiff or thin as a high-quality carbon fiber plate. However, overall stiffness is more than adequate for most enthusiast cyclists and the shoe is still reasonably light at 655g for our size 43.5 testers.

Some extra versatility is provided by the dual three-bolt and SPD cleat drillings, and there are flow-through vents molded in as well. It's difficult to tell if they actually work but the perforations extend through the midsole unlike some other shoes we've sampled where the vents are purely cosmetic.

Other bits clearly help reduce the cost of the shoes but had no negative effect on performance. The buckle is plastic but the base is metal and it works just fine, the main strap is non-adjustable for length but it's suitably wide and the tongue is well padded to help distribute pressure, and the heel and toe treads aren't replaceable but the material is hard (yet still grippy) enough that there was barely any noticeable wear after a couple of months of regular use.

The one blight on what is otherwise a perfect score is the middle strap. Many companies go with an offset D-ring to relieve pressure but Specialized stick with a straight arrangement fore-aft and our feet paid the price. While we could tighten down the main and forefoot straps, we could only pull the middle one a moderate amount before the ring started to dig into the top of our foot. 

Some additional padding on the tongue would help but simply moving the ring over a bit would truly solve the problem. This gripe apart, these are about as good as it gets at this price, especially when you add in the huge size range and the proven durability of earlier Specialized road models we've used, 

Discovering your bike has been stolen is one of the biggest kicks in the guts imaginable, an experience you hope you'll never have to go through again.

To make it as hard as possible for thieves to swipe your pride and joy, it's vital you spend time and money finding the right lock. If you've splashed out a couple of thousand pounds on your bike, there's little sense in skimping on a bargain basement cable lock which an experienced thief can cut through in no time. 

At least as important, though, is the location and method of chaining your bike up. In the video below, Mountain Biking UK features editor Doddy talks you through the dos and don'ts when it comes to thief-proofing your bike. You can find out more in the latest issue of MBUK (#274), due in shops tomorrow. 

The board of California-based Marin Bikes have agreed to sell the company to a European investment firm, they announced this morning.

Founded in 1986 in Marin County, California – the place widely regarded as the birthplace of mountain biking – the business is currently owned by its staff and the family of founder and president Robert Buckley. No date has yet been announced for its acquisition by Minestone Limited.

“The acquisition of Marin by Minestone will allow us to strengthen our brand through increased investment in product innovation, marketing and human resources," said Buckley, via press release. "We'll continue to operate from our Novato headquarters, designing and testing on the trails and back roads that have inspired us for over 25 years. I greatly look forward to accompanying our talented and dedicated staff during this exciting new phase in our company’s history.”

Britain has always been a big market for Marin, and many of the company's full-suspension bikes have been designed on these shores. Ross Patterson, sales and marketing director at Marin's UK distributors, ATB Sales, said: "This is excellent news. The investment this acquisition will strengthen Marin's position globally and we look forward to the exciting times ahead for Marin in the UK."

It's not yet known how much Minestone are paying for the business, or when the sale will go ahead. We'll bring you further details as soon as we get them.

Marin Bikes timeline

1985: Bob Buckley teams up with Joe Murray, who's working in a local bike shop, to start a bike company. Buckley had been working in the fashion industry but was inspired to change career after trying a mountain bike on his doctor's advice to help heal a nagging knee injury. 

1986: Marin Bikes launch their first bike, the Madrone Trail hardtail. They go on to become big players in the late '80s and early '90s mountain bike scene.

1992: The company unveil their first full-suspension bike. The Ti FRS used a titanium front triangle mated to a Manitou twin shock rear end. It squatted badly under acceleration and sported negligible damping but was still one of the better designs of the early ‘90s.

1995: At a time when Marin are losing ground to rivals like Specialized, Kona and Trek, Bob Buckley meets Formula 1 suspension engineer Jon Whyte at a UK dealer presentation. Impressed, he contracts Whyte and Marin's UK distributors ATB Sales to produce a new full-suspension range.

1996: Paul Lazenby wins the UK cross-country championships on a Whyte designed single-pivot Marin Mount Vision, silencing the full-suspension sceptics for good. The long-travel B-17 also proves a success. 

2006: Jon Whyte retires from the bike industry and hands over the reins to Ian Alexander, his apprentice since 2002. 

2008: Marin's latest four-bar full-suspension bikes garner high praise from the cycling press, with What Mountain Bike naming the Mount Vision as their Bike of the Year.

2011: Marin unveil a new suspension platform for 2012, Quad Link 3.0. You can see it in action on the new Mount Vision XM8 in the video below: