Tour de Product Placement

An interesting little tidbit came out of Bike Europe the other day involving Taiwan's second largest bicycle manufacture, Merida Bikes, and the company's interest in placing their equipment under the asses of some of the world's top cycling talent as a pro team sponsor.

More factories, more models, especially in 29-ers and racing bikes, as well as more marketing support. There was even talk about participating the Tour de France with a professional team. That will probably happen with the new Merida Scultura SL Team (photo) which, together with a new series of 29-ers, was launched at last weekend’s Merida Dealer & Press Camp in Mallorca.

Merida is better known as a major shareholder in Specialized and the manufacturer of Specialized equipment.

The company's expressed interest in supporting a pro cycling team shows that Merida is looking to jump into the limelight as a stand-alone brand rather than be complacent as simply a Taiwanese OEM/ODM.

As much as the Tour de France is a display of both team and individual cycling prowess, the Tour is also the world's largest vehicle for bicycle marketing. It is in the Tour de France that consumers ogle their favorite teams as the riders splash logos across the television screens for six hour stints.

Several of the bikes in the pro peloton were simple OEM frames a couple years ago or at least much less regarded... until they made their debut at the Tour de France and saw their stock, in the eyes of the consumer, shoot to the stars. Much of the "cred" carried by the Giant TCR Advanced SL revolves around their use by Team Rabobank. It is not that these bikes are any more advanced than many others. It is because the companies have made the expensive investment in branding an image.

It will be an interesting interesting case study as our "little" Taiwanese brand shows if the marketing coup of a Tour appearance can rocket a company into becoming one of the world's more coveted brands.

Cadels Before Schlecks: My Worst Pun To Date and Links

• Taiwanese racer poised to become the first Asian cyclist to win the International Cycling Classic. Feng Chun-kai maintained an insurmountable lead in the 43 year-old Pro-Am series after a week of victories and high placed finishes. Feng's dominance really highlights the still untapped potential for a country like Taiwan to cultivate athletic talent that can compete at the international level. The interest in cycling remains high as recreational riders are becoming more sophisticated and interested in the sport of cycling.

• A pair of cancer survivors tackle Taiwan by bike to raise funds and awareness for cancer research. Cycling has become a favorite activity for people dedicated to combating cancer, in part for Lance Armstrong's close association with cancer research and also for the fact that cycling can be an easy and accessible activity for lots of people.

• The Liberty Times reports on Bike Angels, a Taiwanese Lutheran group that will be riding around Taiwan to raise funds for a new orphanage in XiLuo and other projects. You can follow them on Facebook.

• Terry's got some great pics from Saturday's Giant Cup event. Terry placed a respectable 3rd.

World Links:

• A North American look at 10 Great Places for City Cycling.

• Making Cycling More Inclusive: De-gendering the bicycle.

• When art and bicycles collide.

• Los Angeles carries a Big Stick for cyclists. Defending the defenseless.

• Revolutionary inventions for cycling?

• So you think you could be pro. How do you compare?

• Man cuts himself in two through cycling.

Tour de France: An End To 21 Days of Schlecks and Violence

I have to admit I was skeptical. After a couple boring years of the Tour de France and more thrilling Giro contests, I was ready to concede to another yawn fest with predetermined plot lines and preordained royalty. Then the Giro came and it bored me to death. Could Alberto Contador gobble up competition any faster? How many times could he concede the finish line to gift favors? In fact, it may have been his undoing.

The same rabble of favorites were destined to shine at this year's Tour. Contador, the Schleck boys, Ivan Basso, Cadel Evans, Sammy Sanchez, Thor, Cavendish, Ferrar.

Then the opening day of crashes put several of the favorites behind. More crashes depleted the peloton of some of its heavyweights. Team Radioshack was decimated with Chris Horner babbling incoherently after finishing with an obvious concussion in Stage 7. This really opened up the field to see demonstrations of grit, like Johnny Hoogerland's repeated aggression even after tangling his boys in a barbed wire fence and requiring 30 stitches.

Another hero of the race was Tommy Voeckler, the Frenchman from Team Eurocar who fought valiantly to attain and then retain his yellow jersey. It was that heart of a competitor that really came through on Stage 18 as he crossed the finish suffering immeasurably from exhaustion after chasing Andy Schleck's breakaway to hold a mere 15 seconds on Schleck in a futile effort that would see him lose his top spot the following day, which was owned by Alberto Contador. Although Contador's legs gave out on Stage 18, the former (at that time reigning champion) put the remainder of his energy into a Stage 19 stand that possibly out paced the Schlecks and may have given Cadel Evans an edge.

I was hooked early and hooked long. I followed through the middle stages as the leaders sized up the competition and cautiously maintained a pace at the front.

It was truly a grand tour.

TdF Links:

• Cadel me gently. Aussie wins Malliot Jaune in 20th stage ITT heroics. How did he do it?

• WSJ examines why the TdF captivated so many after becoming a bit of a bore in recent years.

• Andy Schleck's Stage 18 Pinache.

• Alberto Contador's fighting spirit wins fans and respect.

• Breaking the Color Barrier. 108 years later, first black man competes in worlds top bicycle race.

• So you think you should be sponsored... How do you stack up against the pros? Maybe that 32kph average over 50k inspires you to think about making a career of cycling. See what the big dogs averaged.

Tour de France Stage 18: The Decider (My TdF Movie Ending)

I have been up watching the Tour de France online from one of the feeds at Steephill (look at the bottom for feeds) and with the extra help of the TdF Live Blogging from Cycling News.

I have to say, this is the best contest since Lance left the scene, and maybe even better without such a dominant force.

The race has entered its third and final act with several lethal threats still lurking at the top of the GC leader board.

Tommy Voeckler of Team Eurocar is still sitting on top with the yellow jersey. He is losing time little by little like a deflating balloon. He has led a valiant effort with pinache, but it may not be enough.

Australia's Cadel Evans is sitting in second. His style and ugly mug may be a turn-off for some, but he is looking flawless and strong after last year's curse of the Rainbow Jersey.

The Schleck boys from Team Leppard (I know) are sitting in third and fourth. Frank Schleck is 1:22 out, but he can't Time Trial. Little brother Andy is 2:36 out and he can climb and Time trial, but he is upset about the descents... boo hoo. They both seem apprehensive to go it alone without support. Neither has won the TdF, but Andy came in second last year after a dropped chain that allowed Alberto Contador to get away for a win.

Samuel Sanchez, the Spanish rider from Euskaltel in in fifth, and last year's winner Alberto Contador of Saxo Bank is in sixth 3:15 out of first-- a gap that can be overcome on a good breakaway, climb or descent.

Who to pull for tonight?

I think from the Hollywood standpoint it looks like this:

• Contador has got a couple big victories already. I'd like to see him as the Sports Movie Bad Guy this time around. The Drago from Rocky IV... The "Shoot" from Vision Quest.... The Italian team in Breaking Away... the Cobra Khans in Karate Kid... the Russians in that Red Dawn on Ice about the American hockey victory. You get the picture. Contador can play that guy. He can be a threat to the very end, but I don't want him to win it. It'd make a bad ending for my TdF movie. Sanchez would make a great toady for AC. Scheming Spaniards stroking their long mustaches and contemplating the plunder of innocents on their galleons in their puffy shirts.

• The Schlecks have the brotherly love thing going on, but they way they are doing it is pissing me off. The only way to find redemption is for one brother to sacrifice himself for the other in a selfless act of pain or danger. It taps into the whole Jesus thing of self sacrifice that Americans dig on. Maybe a biblical parallel on the scale of The Grapes of Wrath.

• Voeckler can't win. He has held the yellow jersey for too long and if he went ahead an won, it would be anticlimactic. Besides, he has a name most English speakers can't pronounce and he is too... European.

• Basso would just be camera fodder and maybe the surprise friend at the end who enables the good guy, who isn't sure where Basso's loyalties lie, to pull out the win is a surprising act of cross-team cooperation. He is also tainted by doping and can only be the seemingly morally ambiguous Han Solo who has a little heart... not the pure-hearted Luke Skywalker.

• Danielson would be a dark horse only because he's an American. Go America, yeah! Whoo! Home of the free land of the brave.

• I think Cadel is the better hero with all the adversity he has faced amid so much promise. He is the mountain biker who overcomes switching to the road after being told he can't do it... rises, falls... and rises again. Besides, he's a native English speaker and the hero must speak English.

Tour de France and Some Taiwan Cycling Events

Michael Cannon Astride His Speedone

This weekend kicks off the 98th edition of the Tour de France, the peak of the professional cycling calendar. After last year's bore fest I am not looking forward to it as much as I was the Giro. With Alberto Contador riding with a vengeance following his positive test for clenbuterol and the doping ban he has hanging in legal limbo, I am just hoping the Schlecks from Team Leppard (Yes, I know.) or some brighter dark horses can make Contador and his Saxo Bank comrades work a little harder for le Malliot Jaune.

Honestly, after watching the Spanish rider eat up the competition in the Giro d'Italia, I wish everyone luck.

Tour de France:

Brought to you in part by EPO.

VeloNews has a stage by stage breakdown and Contador to be, what Professional Wrestling might describe as the Foil of this Tour. MSNBC chimes in on why Contador sucks.

Cavendish is going green.

BIG George make his 16th Tour appearance.

Cervelo will use the TdF to unveil their new carbon fiber S5. According to Cervelo's new marketing literature, the "S" stands for Supercalifragalisticexpialadocious.

Official TdF page.

Meat Is Murder! David Zabriskie of Garmin-Cervelo hopes to use Tour results to tout the benefits of the vegan lifestyle.

Despite his retirement and an aggressive doping investigation leveraged against him, Lance Armstrong keeps busy at shoring up his golden image.

Cycling Tips keeps tabs of the incestuous relationship between media and sport.

Tour de France viewing online can be found HERE.

Taiwan Events:

The TUAA Alishan Challenge is this weekend. Good Luck! I wish I could join.

The Iilan Road Bike Race will also take place 7/2/2011.

Bikeman's July Events Calendar (Chinese)

Never Stop Wuling Challenge 8/21/2011 (More events listed in Chinese)

Watch The Tour

So at stage 4 Cancellara has motored his way to the top of the GC, The Mighty Thor is wearing green, Lance in over a minute behind after a flat and he may never recover. Frank Schleck is out with a busted collarbone. Cavendish hasn't really shown up yet, and despite Vinokourov forsaking Contador in Stage 2, he has now been brought to heel... until the next time he feels the need to get the monkey off his back.

The best part is that you can see it all with a decent internet feed: here

Scratch that comment about Cav. He just arrived with a sprint finish victory.

Mr. Cavendish, welcome to the Tour de France!

Cycling Around The News

*Taiwanese couple and French couple meet to cycle Australia. Check out the difference in gear. Except for those gawdawful handlebars the Taiwanese couple has it right.

* The CNA through Taiwan Focus reports on a group of Taiwanese indigenes who are embarking on a cycling trip to circumvent Taiwan. The report states:

The Tsou youths will practice writing and taking pictures to chronicle their cycling trip.

This is a very good example of living indigenous culture rather than the forced traditionalism we are used to. By forced I mean it is often not accepted as indigenous by non-indigenes unless it is framed in a traditional context.

*Taiwanese students are manipulated into a propaganda tour of Tibet with some very troubling political undertones by helping to assert Chinese hegemony over the area. Here.

*Cycling Satin Cesena has an interesting write up and response on ECFA from an industry insider's perspective. My opinion is that the economic effects will be marginal but the political motivations behind the deal may be more malevolent in nature... or to paraphrase a comment I saw elsewhere... "It is not the candy, but the stranger in the van."

Tour News:

After a Prologue Time Trial in which Lance Armstrong finished a surprising 4th place, Stage 1 could only be described as a festival of carnage. Slippery roads on some tricky descents turned the peloton into a meat grinder with many of the major GC contenders hitting the deck. Garmin-Transitions team leader Christian Vande Velde was forced to withdraw from the TdF with broken ribs following a crash. This leaves Tyler Farrar in the driver's seat.

Overall:

• 1. Sylvain Chavanel, Quick Step, 10:01:25
• 2. Fabian Cancellara, Team Saxo Bank at 2:57
• 3. Tony Martin, Team HTC-Columbia at 03:07
• 4. David Millar, Garmin-Transitions at 03:17
• 5. Lance Armstrong, Team RadioShack at 03:19
• 
  

Oh! And now Frank Schleck is out with a broken collarbone after stage 3. Armstrong flatted and lost about a minute on his main competition. Another rough day on the tour with the Mighty Thor taking the sprint finish.

Chasing The Malliot Jaune

Ok! The TdF kicks off with the Prologue Saturday night (Taiwan Time).

How can you watch the action?

Some tips HERE!

Tour de France Preview

The 2010 Tour de France, which is arguably the greatest of the Monument races in cycling, is set to get under way on July 3 for the 8.9km Prologue in Rotterdam.

The Tour is always fun to watch, but this year will be extra special as it is the last that will combine two elements people love to hate-- France and Lance Armstrong.

After this year's stellar Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France will have a lot to live up to. The route and teams are in place and a year had passed to let the bad blood fester in the media. Floyd Landis and Fabien Cancellara have added a couple twists to the mix with allegations of blood and bike doping.

Here are a few of the teams and riders to watch out for:

Team Astana will be back with defending champion, Alberto Contador, who will try to assert his dominance over the peloton after an ugly, and very public spat with former teammate and rival, Lance Armstrong. Contador will have some capable back up with ex-doper Alexandre Vinokourov, who is back from a 2 year suspension. He just reminds me of Drago from Rocky IV.

Quick Step will be riding without the master sprinter and leader, Tom Boonen. After a couple seasons of personal and health issues, he has developed a severe case of tendonitis and again must sit out another race.

Team Sky will be coming into the Tour headed by Bradley Wiggins, who looks more at home as the guitarist from a 70's British rock band. Sky has been looking strong this year.

HTC-Columbia will see if Mark Cavendish can sprint his way to win the Green Jersey for points; a prize he barely lost to Cervelo's Thor Hushovd.

Team Saxo Bank will again field the Schleck brothers, Andy and Frank, who will decide which of them has the legs to compete for the GC. Last year they finished 2nd and 5th respectively. Frank Schleck demolished the competition in Time Trials this year as well and that could play a factor.

The Cervelo Test Team will have Carlos Sastre battling for the GC, with Thor Hushovd along side.

Liquigas has the formerly suspended doper, Ivan Basso, up front to make an attempt to follow his Giro win with the TdF. Vincenzo Nibali will be waiting in the wings if Basso falters.

Team BMC has again pinned their hopes on Cadel Evans, who is hungry and due for a major tour victory, especially after a 5th place finish in the Giro. The climbing duel between he and Bosso during the Giro was spectacular. Cadel and George Hincapie are the Chicago Cubs of cycling.

Team Rabobank has Denis Menchov, who might be a dark horse favorite to win this year. He is a skilled climber and has won two Vuelta de Espana (Tour of Spain) titles, one Giro, and has placed 4th, 5th and 11th at the Tour de France in the GC category.

Team Radioshack, which was established by Lance Armstrong after his bitter public feud with Astana captain, Alberto Contador, is stacked with talent to carry Armstrong's ancient 38yo. legs to the finish line. Aside from the legendary Armstrong, Radioshack will feature 2 time runner-up Andreas Kloden and the Armstrong's capable wingman and confidant, Levi Leipheimer, who is ready to leave Armstrong's shadow after one final Tour. Armstrong finished second in this year's Tour of Switzerland, which is a warm up to the TdF.

I am sure there are several I missed, but that leaves plenty of room for debate.

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Here is the link to the official TdF Website for updates and Webcasts.

VeloNews has some great route profiles here.

Tour Time: Chasing Legends Trailer

Here's a little warm up to get into the mood for Le Tour.

There should be enough bad blood in the peloton to make things interesting enough. The Giro was amazing this year and now I hope the Tour can do even better.

Dates:
The Tour de France runs from Saturday July 3rd to Sunday July 25th 2010. It will be made up of 1 prologue and 20 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,642 kilometres.