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Team Leopard Trek - Big Results - Big Expectations - Sunday, May 29, 2011

Team Leopard Trek- - Big Results - Big Expectations
Jennifer Lane - Tour Cycling

Born in Luxembourg, a small country bordered by some of the top cycling countries in Europe-France, Germany and Belgium- Frank and Andy Schleck are riding their bikes and making history into the professional road cycling society The two are brothers born to Johny Schleck, a rider who contended the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España and the rest of the big races between 1965 and 1974.

By the time Johny’s son, Andy Schleck turned the age of 19, he became the Under 23 Road and Time Trial National Champion and the overall winner of the Fleche du Sud. He was then picked up by Cyrille Guimard, a sports director who became famous as the directeur sportif for several Tour de France winners, including Bernard Hinault, Laurent Fignon, Lucien Van Impe and American Greg LeMond.

While riding as a young professional cyclist, Andy finished on the podium and left his mark on the Giro D’ Italia, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and La Flèche Wallonne. He is also a two time second overall finisher in the Tour de France. Pedaling with a long lean body, Andy is known for climbing up the mountains faster than most of the other top climbers.

Frank Schleck, the older of the two brothers, also has consistent podium finishes in big races such as the Tour de Suisse, the Tour de Luxembourg and Paris-Nice. Riding into a solo victory on the Alpe d’Huez, Frank is known not only for his dancing climber’s legs but also as a racer with grit and the determination to win in the classics such as the Criterium International.

With such strong consistent finishes, the brothers now have the pressure of world-wide expectations riding on their backs up every climb. The world is watching the Schleck brothers performances develop as they ride towards three weeks of some of the toughest stages in the history of cycling—the Tour de France.

The UCI Pro Team Leopard Trek is supporting these young stars on their paths to making history. Long time riders also race for Leopard Trek. For many years, Stuart O’ Grady has won big races and recently won one of the most tortuous days in the classic race-- Paris–Roubaix. The impressive list of riders on the team continues. Fabian Cancellara, the current World Time Trial Champion, holds a record four World Time Trial Championship titles. Jans Voigt, a German racer with years of experience, has won stages of the big races such as the Giro D’Italia and the Tour of California.

In this blog, we will be following the races of this very strong Team Leopard Trek. Each of the stages in races such as the Tour de France, Tour de Suisse and Vuelta a Espana will be examined and reported. The race schedule of the top teams in the world is demanding and we will follow how these riders finish and in some cases just survive the grueling stages of the biggest races in the world.

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How to Train Long and Stay Comfortable - Monday, May 16, 2011

How to Train Long and Stay Comfortable –

Advice from an up and coming woman racer out of Miami, Florida

By Jennifer Lane

Over the course of six months, Duffy Danish, a category 4 woman road racer in Miami, Florida, went through nine saddles “in the never ending search for the right saddle.” Duffy, like every rider, has to deal with saddle sores. She didn’t want to take days off the bike so the pursuit of finding comfort on the bike began. In this pursuit, Duffy learned a lot.

“After I would get a new saddle, I would get refit so my position would be just right,” Duffy said.

Yet, no matter what she did-- get perfectly fit on her bike, use chamois cream, try different saddles-- the saddle sores persisted.

Of course, Duffy is no recreational cyclist. She trains on a schedule where four hour rides are a regular habit. Even though this was Duffy’s first full year as a racer, she won her first race with all categories put together and she got a 2nd place in the Florida State Criterium Championships for the Category 3 and 4 women.

Furthermore, Duffy comes from a very prestigious athletic background. She was on the United States Sailing Team and did an Olympic Campaign in 2002. But her prestige continues. In 1998, she was on the Olympic Developmental Team for ice hockey. Duffy knows what it takes to be good in a sport and she wants to put in the time so she can be good.

Many people “hypothesized and told me things, like I had too much padding,” Duffy said. She found that her Louis Garneau women specific bib shorts were the best. Yet, she knew there was more so she still asked around and she even researched online forums.

“Guys squirm and run away when you ask about saddle sores. They don’t want to talk to women about problems down there,” Duffy said. Her persistence paid off because over the winter and in the middle of her long miles on the bike, Duffy found Marcel, a bike mechanic who told her about the Specialized Romin Expert.

At first, Duffy didn’t like the saddle because “it looked too firm.” Marcel told her she would like it and Duffy asked if she could try it out because “99 percent of women will know the saddle is right if they try it.” Duffy tried the saddle and immediately decided this was the saddle for her. The Specialized is designed so that “air moves through the saddle.”

Another factor Duffy found helped her stay comfortable on her bike were her women specific Louis Garneau bib shorts.

“Louis Garneau shorts are amazing, they are just right,” Duffy said about the bib shorts worn by she and her fellow Primal Rose Bandits teammates. “Most shorts are too bulky back there, I mean I don’t sit back there, why so much padding?” Louis Garneau designs its shorts so the padding is just in the right places.

“The shorts with elastic around the legs I have to cut off because they are so uncomfortable,” Duffy said the Garneau shorts don’t have this elastic around the legs.

Duffy is “excited to try out Primal's pro fit bib shorts, which the Rosebandit race team just received. I also like how tightly and snuggly the Garneau bibs are, there’s nothing worse than a saggy loose crotch in your bibs.”

Now comfortable on her bike, Duffy’s body can handle the demands of daily training. She wants to upgrade to a Category 2 by next year and to also do big races such as Super Week. She doesn’t just want to finish, she wants to do well. To do well, Duffy knows she needs to train. Yet to handle the training, she also knows that she needs to stay comfortable and healthy.

Saddle sores are a problem that both women and men deal with. Duffy followed a good plan. She wears the right bib shorts, uses chamois cream and pays attention to her bike fit. After a lot of searching, she also found the right saddle. Yet, probably one of the most important factors for Duffy was finding the Louis Garneau women’s specific bib shorts.

The Louis Garneau Equip Shorts have Airgel chamois with perforated inserts that don’t compromise ventilation which is one thing that Duffy found essential to staying comfortable in the saddle. The Powerband at the base of the legs keeps the cycling short from crawling up your leg and it’s not made of elastic but of a material that grips and stays comfortable.

Ivan Dominguez, who is now retired but was widely regarded as one of the best sprinters racing in America, also thinks Louis Garneau produces the best cycling shorts around. He thinks not only is the cut of the short good, but so is the chamois. In the Louis Garneau shorts, you stay comfortable on those long rides.

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