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On the road and sent from his iPhone. Image_Jonathan Devich

After an exciting stage 1 that saw the break stay away and put Garmin-Chipotle's Jason Donald in the leader's jersey we were excited about was ahead in stage 2.

While Nephi was a ghost town, Ogden was different. We definitely had more people at the start here. In Nephi fans numbered literally in the 10's, while in Ogden it was more along the lines of several hundred if not a bit more.

Lisa's Country Kitchen. Image_Carson Blume

Stage 1 started and finished in Nephi to a limited "crowd". It's a small town and because we had no wi-fi, we ventured around and found Jim Felt of Felt Bicycles. He's obviously pumped about the performance of Garmin-Chipotle and informed us that the bikes coming down the pike are off the hook.

Schamber stuffed in the Mustang. Image_Blume.

We are in Utah for the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. Former pro Marty Jemison picked me, Neil, and snapper Carson Blume up from the airport in a convertible Mustang. Somehow we stuffed our luggage in and off we motored to our base of operations at The Cliff Hotel and Spa at Snowbird. It's essentially at the top of where the Queen stage ends after nearly 14,800 feet of climbing for the day!

Here's Michael Ball's response to rumors that Floyd Landis could join Rock Racing for the 2009 season:

“At this juncture, I have not made any decisions regarding the 2009 Rock Racing roster. If – or when – Floyd Landis returns to racing, I hope people recognize that he has served his time and should be given the opportunity to showcase the talent that made him one of the world’s top bike racers. He has a right to continue to make a living in his chosen profession.”

Shimano officially announced Dura-Ace Di2, a technologically advanced, electronic shifting option for the all new 7900 series Dura-Ace. Comprised of Dual Control type shift / brake levers, front derailleur, rear derailleur, and a battery pack, the new Dura-Ace Di2 7970 components provide precision electronic performance and integrate seamlessly with components from the 7900 series Dura-Ace group while adding only 68 grams to the entire group.

Nathan O'Neill talks about his experiences at the wind tunnel. Click here to view or go to the "video" tab above.

During the Tour rumors are passed around like a bad dose of food poisoning. The strongest rumor we continue to hear is CSC/Saxo will be riding Specialized bikes next year. Stay tuned...

Riders will be crossing the Golden Gate Bridge

Beginning with a road stage (a first for the race), which both starts and ends in Sacramento, through the grand finale in Escondido, the 2009 race will visit 16 host cities for official stage starts and finishes, while other cities along the route also will have the opportunity to witness the excitement of elite professional cycling. Stages for the 2009 Amgen Tour of California include:

Stage 1: Saturday, Feb. 14 – Sacramento
Stage 2: Sunday, Feb. 15 – Davis to Santa Rosa
Stage 3: Monday, Feb. 16 – Sausalito to Santa Cruz
Stage 4: Tuesday, Feb. 17 – San Jose to Modesto
Stage 5: Wednesday, Feb. 18 – Merced to Clovis
Stage 6: Thursday, Feb. 19 – Visalia to Paso Robles
Stage 7: Friday, Feb. 20 – Solvang (individual time trial)
Stage 8: Saturday, Feb. 21 – Santa Clarita to Pasadena
Stage 9: Sunday, Feb. 22 – Rancho Bernardo to Escondido

2009 Amgen Tour of California will include:
A road stage instead of a prologue.

Amgen is returning as title sponsor and will continue to leverage the race to raise awareness and support for people affected by cancer through the Breakaway from Cancer initiative.

Riders will be crossing the Golden State Bridge (stage 3).

More info at the Amgen Tour of California site.

Image_Tour of Qinghai Lake/Mark Gunter

Xining, China — Tyler Hamilton delivered Rock Racing its most prestigious victory to date Sunday when he captured the overall title at the Tour of Qinghai Lake in China.

Hamilton crossed the finish line with the peloton at the end of a 68-mile (110 km) circuit race through the streets of Xining to secure a 10-second win over Marek Rutkiewicz (Polish National Team). Iranian Hossein Askari (Tabriz Petrochemical Team) finished third, 1:08 behind.

“It’s a special win for me,” Hamilton told a group of reporters after being congratulated by his Rock Racing teammates. “It’s been a long time. I think most people didn’t think I’d ever reach the highest level (again).”

This was Hamilton’s sixth victory in an international stage race, but his first since the Tour de Romandie in 2004. The 37-year-old Marblehead, Mass., native has won more than 30 races since turning professional in 1995.

–Sean Weide [partial press release]

Tour of Qinghai Lake/Mark Gunter

Xining, China — Rock Racing's Tyler Hamilton and Oscar Sevilla made big moves up the overall classification Wednesday at the Tour of Qinghai Lake in China.

Hamilton was second and Sevilla finished fifth on Stage 6 as Sevilla climbed to third overall and Hamilton to fourth. Sevilla is 14 seconds off the lead and Hamilton only one second behind him. Four stages remain in the 10-day, 841-mile (1,354 km) race.

Rock Racing nearly scored its first stage win in China when Hamilton attacked inside the final mile. The former Tour de France stage winner and Olympic time trial gold medalist was shadowed by race leader Hossein Askari (Tabriz Petrochemical Team) but it was Marek Rutkiewicz (Polish National Team) who passed the pair just before the finish.

–Sean Weide
[Press Release]

The guys at Shimano know how to throw a great product launch! We had an hour product meeting and then all we've been doing is riding, eating and drinking these past two days.

I'll get more into the features of the new Dura-Ace group, but the hot scoop is that later this year they will be coming out with a new Flight Deck. It has all the same features with a few new ones. The Flight Deck will have a GPS system and a power meter. Shimano's GPS and power meter will come out next year. That's all they would tell me.

After an 11 hour flight followed by another 30 minute flight and then a quick 45 minute van ride we are in the rolling hills of Ebnisee, Germany for the Shimano Dura-Ace launch. The boys from big blue have kitted out bikes in all the new Dura-Ace for our riding pleasure. No sooner had we put our bags in our room than we were kitting up for a jaunt in the countryside on the new rigs.

What is obviously noticeable is the lack of shifter cables sprouting out of the brake hoods. Now the cables are concealed under the bar tape for a cleaner look. The whole group has a matte black finish giving it a very industrial look. The levers have also been redesigned for a more ergonomic feel. Out on the road the shifting is as sharp as ever and on the descent from our hotel I put the brakes to the test as we rounded a sharp corner. Shimano claims that the braking has been improved by 20%. All I can say is they definitely feel stronger than the previous D-A grabbers. Tomorrow (really today as I am writing this at 3:00 AM German time. I'm not adjusted to Euro time yet) I'll get the skinny on everything and grab some more ride time.

While not at the tour, team Astana slated Levi Leipheimer and Chris Horner to some domestic racing at the Cascade Classic in Bend Oregon. Chris had a busy schedule with racing and public appearances, but he had a few moments for a quick interview with ROAD.

They say that success is the best form of revenge. Does that seem to be Astana’s strategy?
HORNER: It has been all year so far. The strategy for Astana is to win as many bike races they can, it is not to get even with the Tour de France but this team is the number one team in the world, so it’s going to win a lot of bike races.

What was the purpose of racing Cascade rather than doing a training camp in the mountains of Europe?
HORNER: [laughing] Cause I am waking up in my own bed!

Do you feel the eyes of the peloton are on you?
HORNER: Oh yeah, we can’t do anything here, everyone is watching us.

Is there a race in Europe similar to Cascade?
HORNER: No, not really. You have the altitude here and the race [Cascade] has a totally different feel.

When announced that Astana wouldn’t be invited to the tour did you think that the ASO would change their mind?
HORNER: I was hoping they would, I don’t think I thought they would.

Have you been watching the tour? Does it piss you off that you have arguably the strongest team and you are not there?
HORNER: It pisses me off that we’re not there and hands down we have the strongest team. It’s gonna leave a big doubt in everyone’s mind, that Astana’s not there, so what if? I have been watching the tour; it’s on Versus all day so it’s pretty hard to miss.

How has not being in the Tour de France changed your own personal racing schedule? Will you be at Greenville to contest the U.S. Pro or will you target the Vuelta.
HORNER: The ASO has dramatically changed my [racing] schedule and I will be at the Vuelta racing. I will not be in Greenville [U.S. Pro]. I will be racing at Elk Grove [U.S. Crit Nationals]

–Jennifer Reither

Image_Carson Blume

Astana has just 2 guys at Cascade: Chris Horner and Levi Leipheimer. In most cases, this would spell doom for a team and for the hopes of an overall title let alone a spot in the top-10. However, with 2 seasoned professionals both with incredible racing sense, the story is looks to end with Levi winning. A testament to Levi's ability no doubt, but Horner had a lot to do with it. Jennifer Reither briefly caught up with Horner a day ago.