Interesting news at Velo News a few weeks back. Shimano is upping Dura Acce’s rear cassette to 11 in their 2013 offering. This will match Campy’s 11 speed rear end which has been on the market for 3 years. The 2013 Dura Ace set will be series 9000 (a change from the current 7900 series). It is assumed that the 11 speed Ultegra set will be the 8000 series in 2014.

In other cycling notes, it seems that the new electronic Ultegra Di2 series will soon to be arriving at a bike manufacturers (and then at the local bike shop) soon.

Mission Bicycle announced they are now selling a wearable lock. The lock is warn around the waist like a belt with a 26″ to 44″ inch adjustability. Mission is the exclusive US distributer apparently. Very cool, very useful, and a great idea. Story here

Those that care probably already know that 3 time TDF (Tour De France) winner Alberto Contador tested positive for having a antibiotic steroid in his blood. (Universal Sports has a nice timeline and story summary here)

The drug can be found in trace amounts in meat (which Alberto claims is how he got on the second rest day of this years TDF), and some doctors back him up. The drug has been banned from Spanish meat for a few years, but is still used illegally sometimes.

Additionally, a rimment of a plastic found in blood bags were also “potentially” found in Contador’s blood. Typically this type of sample means that a blood transfusion took place as the plastic from the bag is found in small amounts in the stored blood after a transfusion occurs. This size and validity of the plastic specimen found in the blood is in question.

Contador, who heard about the positive test in late Aug but still signed with a new team in early Sept, says he was told not to tell anyone about the positive test. Contador’s new team was NOT aware of the postiive test or the probe. Contador says the issue will resolve itself in 8 to 10 days, and that if a ban is instituted against him he may retire.

Bernard Kohl, a cyclist caught for doping two years back, is now saying that it is not possible to win the TDF without doping (story here). Kohl, who could legally return to cycling, is choosing to retire because he says once you tell the truth in cycling you can not return too it.

I found the following link online about a bendable bike that can tie itself to a fixture (link here). This is cool, and as a cyclist I am all about keeping the bike you spend ALOT of money on, but if you are living in a city so bad that you need a bike that is this “secure” I would suggest the purchase of a handgun and a cheap bike instead.

[H/T To Mark O. at The Stones Cry Out of this one]

Walmart is offering a Mongoose Fixed Gear – Fixed Gear @ Blogspot here – Wal Mart site link here – for $149, thus marking the end of any coolness and cache in riding a fixie. Oh well I still love my single speed NYC Langster and I will still be riding it when fixie’s are no longer cool. Fortunately I bought mine before they were so cool that the price jumped up…LOL

Well the best bikes built in Old Fort, TN – Justice Madison – have an write up in Mountain Bike Action this month. Go out and buy a copy and then go buy a Justice Madison steel frame and support hand made craftsmanship made by a local artisan.

Oh yeah Justice Madision still has the coolest logo art in the cycling biz no matter what Moots and Seven think.

[H/T to Pseudopolymath for this one]

Fat Cyclist (how is a amateur) just completed a series on the time he spent hanging out / riding with Team Radio Shack or “the shack” team. For the noncyclist out there that means hanging out with Lance Armstrong, Chris Horner, Johann Brunneel, Levi Lepiheimer and oh about 20 other world class cyclists. The second part of his series has some of his story of riding with the team, a link to the video (part III in the series) from his ride with the team (post here) and possibly the greatest few lines any amateur American cyclist can every say -

I learned later, however, that there was some grumbling toward the back about “Fatty ramping the pace up right at the beginning of the climb.”
And by “toward the back” I mean “by Lance Armstrong.”
Yes — and I believe this was caught on film — Lance complained about my pace.
Which may be the single most awesome thing that has ever happened to me.

Oh to have that said about me..LOL. WHAT A DAY!! WOW!! If it was me right now though it would be “TNFrank rode the first 20 like a star and then about died for the rest of the ride”. Seriously I need to get back on the bike and like ASAP.

ANYWAY, this is a great series for all the cycling fans out there. Give the entire series a read and have sweat cycling dreams about pacing Lance Armstrong up a hill.

Tiger Woods with all of his current problems / moral failings was still voted athlete of the decade today (BBC story here). Tiger got about a third of the votes (56 of 142), Lance Armstrong came in second. As a cyclist I think what Lance did (7 straight Tour De France wins and a third after coming of a retirement after missing three tours) was far more impressive then Tiger’s run of golf championships, but honestly it is impossible to compare sports. Rodger Federer came in third. At the end of the day though this points out people really need to find better things to do then debate who is “the greatest” of anything over 10 years. Awards like this are really about creating stories and fueling debate to get listeners, viewers, or readers then about any real facts or figures.