Wiggins joins Team Sky

Triple Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins has joined Britain’s Team Sky on a four-year contract, team principal Dave Brailsford said on Thursday.

“Brad will be at home in Team Sky. It is the perfect fit and he will be a marquee rider for us,” Brailsford said in a statement.

The 29-year-old Briton, who finished fourth in the Tour de France this year, joins from U.S. team Garmin-Transitions becoming the 25th member of the newly formed team.

“I’ll be on a British team with management and coaches who have shaped me as a rider. They are instrumental in my achievements so far and I know they are critical for the next part of my career,” Wiggins said.

“This team wants to be the biggest and the best and the most admired team in the world. It’s the first British ProTour team and to be part of that from the start is going to be something quite special.”

Wiggins, who won Olympic gold in Athens 2004 on the track before taking double gold at last year’s Beijing Olympics, had been linked to Team Sky since their formation in February.

The team, whose aim is to produce a British winner of the Tour de France within five years, are led by British cycling’s performance director Brailsford, the man behind their unprecedented cycling success in Beijing.

“Brad was a real revelation at this year’s Tour de France, has been hugely successful for British Cycling and his Olympic success has brought wide recognition,” Brailsford said.

“My personal opinion is that the best that Brad Wiggins could be is very close to the top of the Tour de France podium.”

Wiggins becomes one of seven British riders on the team which also includes Norwegian champion Kurt-Asle Arvesen and his promising compatriot Edvald Boasson Hagen.

“Obviously the main goal is the Tour de France, but from day one when we start competing at the Tour Down Under we’ve got riders who can win right through the season,” Wiggins told a news conference.

“I am sure that if we hit all the goals the team want to hit early season, selection for Tour de France will not be a problem.”

Garmin-Transitions, who still had Wiggins contracted for another year, were disappointed with his departure.

“Although we understand his strong desire to be a part of the UK’s first-ever ProTour team, we would have loved to continue with him through 2010. His departure is not the outcome we hoped for,” they said in a statement.

Wiggins admitted it was a tough decision to leave.

“I still believed, as late as last weekend, that I would be with Garmin next year. I stayed away from the whole ins and outs of it all, and just let the people behind the scenes get on with it,” Wiggins said.

Together with seven-times Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong’s Team RadioShack, Team Sky will make its first competitive appearance at the Tour Down Under in Adelaide, Australia from Jan. 17 to 24.

High Five Events to speak at 2010 USAT Race Director Symposium

We always like to post good news about our friends. Dan puts on amazing events and we are proud to be involved with him and High Five Events...

Dan Carroll of High Five Events has been selected to speak at the USAT Race Director Symposium Feb. 12-14th in Colorado Springs. Dan will be presenting on "Volunteer Recruiting and Management". Also presenting at the event is Johan Bruyneel, team manager for 9 Tour de France championship squads including US Postal, Discovery Channel, and Astana. Sure, Johan is the keynote speaker and Dan is just a breakout session presenter, but it's still pretty cool.

Dan is also on track to achieve the new Level 2 Race Director certification by the end of the year. Dan is already a certified RD, but Level 2 is the new advanced certification. He will be one of the first race directors in the country to reach this level of certification.

Anyone can attend the RD symposium, although it's probably pretty boring unless you're into race directing. Info is available here.

Gift Ideas for Triathletes this Holiday Season

Reprinted from the TRIJUICE blog...

Okay TRIJUICE followers, this post really isn’t for you. This post is something for your family, wife, father, sister and friends, to help them get you something cool this Holiday Season. Stay tuned as your opportunity to land some cool gifts comes soon with the 2nd Annual TRIJUICE Holiday Giveaway Contest.

It’s that time of year again which means it time to figure out what to get a triathlete that already has everything or is a newbie in the sport and needs some help. Well, we hope to take some of the pain out of your holiday shopping with our list of 16 great gift ideas for your triathlete.

Stocking Stuffers
Here are some small gift ideas that any triathlete would enjoy this holiday season.

• Help any triathlete save time getting secured in their running shoes with a set of Xtenex Laces. These unique laces have an elastic core and a series of knots along the entire length of the lace at consistent length intervals. Stretch the lace and the knots disappear, release the tension and the knots reappear. The more knots between the eyelets on the shoes lessens the tension; the fewer knots between eyelets increases tension. This technology enhances footwear fit, comfort and performance. They are available in a wide variety of colors! MSRP: $19.95 (www.xlaces.com)

• Here is a little something for the triathlete who has accomplished the ultimate test of endurance or one day dreams of doing so - a Silver M-Dot key chain. The nice thing about this key chain is that it’s not made out of plastic; it’s a nice hunk of metal and has a nice price to go with it. MSRP: $7.95 (www.shopironman.com)

• Triathlon involves spending a lot of time training and/or racing on a bike which can cause chafing in some sensitive areas. Here is a product that will make a triathlete’s ride more comfortable, DZ Nuts high viscosity chamois cream. DZ Nuts is scientifically formulated to minimize the effects of chafing and burning every time they ride. MSRP: $23.00 (www.dz-nuts.com)

• Here is a good stocking stuffer, a pair of SLS3 Compression Sox. Their innovative graduated compression technology maximizes the blood circulation in the muscles. The supportive effect and the compression of the SLS3 Compression Sox reduce the muscle vibration drastically, which leads to less damage of the soft tissue and less sore muscles. This will improve their performance in training, competition and recovery. MSRP: $57.95 (www.slstri.com)

• A bike mechanical issue is bound to happen to any triathlete. The end result after fixing the problem could be dirty and greasy hands. How about getting them some Grease Monkey Wipes so they can cleanup after their unfortunate situation. Grease Monkey Wipes are individually packaged cleaning wipes that use an all-natural citrus formula to easily remove grease, grime, oil or other messes from skin and surfaces. They can store one in their bike bag or tuck one in their jersey when training or racing. MSRP: $11.99 for 12 Wipes (www.greasemonkeywipes.com)

To read the rest of the article please click here.

Presenting Team RadioShack

Lance Armstrong’s new RadioShack racing team is getting ready to ride.

Team manager Johan Bruyneel announced a 26-rider lineup for 2010 on Monday, including Armstrong’s former Astana teammates Levi Leipheimer, Andreas Kloeden and Yaroslav Popovych.

Armstrong, a seven-time Tour de France champion, came out of retirement to race the 2009 tour with Astana and finished third at age 37, making him the second-oldest rider to make the podium.

But there was friction with teammate and race winner Alberto Contador, and Armstrong struck out to form his own team where he could be the lead rider again. Bruyneel directed all of Armstrong’s seven tour victories and was with Astana in 2009.

RadioShack draws riders from 16 countries, and Bruyneel called it a good mix of experience and youth.

Kloeden finished sixth at the 2009 Tour de France. Leipheimer was in fourth after 12 stages when he broke his wrist and had to withdraw. Also joining RadioShack from Astana is Haimar Zubeldia.

“Our main goal will be the Tour de France and other stage races, but I am confident that, with these riders, we can perform very well in the one-day races as well,” Bruyneel said.

The team has scheduled a two-week training camp in Tucson, Ariz. in December. It is scheduled to make its racing debut at the 2010 Tour Down Under in Australia.

How to Cycle Uphill

Thought this was pretty appropriate especially with this weekend's Tour das Hugel.

How to Cycle Uphill -- powered by http://www.livestrong.com

Mellow Swap 2009 and Tour das Hugel

Looking for some sweet deals on bike gear head over to Mellow Johnny's this Saturday for Mellow Swap 2009. Prefer pain and suffering for your Saturday, conquer the gnarliest Austin hills in the Tour das Hugel.

Tentative 2010 High Five Events Event Calendar

Our friends over at Jack & Adams and High Five Events have put on some amazing events this year and they are already looking forward to 2010. Here is some information taken from the Jack & Adams blog.

The 2009 Texas Tri Series wrapped up Sunday with the Longhorn Ironman 70.3. Luckily the race had beautiful weather, because cleaning up the site on Monday in the pouring rain and cold was totally miserable. With most of the 2009 multi-sport season behind us, we know many of you are already looking forward to 2010 and trying to set your calendar. Below is the tentative event schedule for 2010. It is subject to change, but we're pretty sure the dates of the triathlons will not move. The lineup will be officially announced at the Texas Tri Series finisher party on November 14th. Registrations will go live December 1st.

Feb. & March: We might add some totally new events. Stay tuned.
April 20th: Pure Austin Splash-n-Dash
May 9th: The Pure Sport Rookie Triathlon
May 16th: Skeese Greets Women's Triathlon
May 18th: Pure Austin Splash-n-Dash
June 15th: Pure Austin Splash-n-Dash
July 11th: Couples Triathlon
July 20th: Pure Austin Splash-n-Dash
August 1st: Jack's Generic Tri
August 17th: Pure Austin Splash-n-Dash
Sept. 6th: The AVIA Austin Triathlon
Sept. 21st: Pure Austin Splash-n-Dash
Nov. 20-21st: The Dirty Du