Why is it that the same water bottles that were available in 1995 are still  being sold today without any improvements in design?  Specialized basically owns the market in water bottles because of their custom printing program, and I think that the “Big Mouth” bottle that they sell was the best design on the market when it came out.  It has a high flow valve and it is big enough to fit ice cubes in easily, but it hasn’t changed in 15 years.  It isn’t that the bottle is so perfect, that no improvements can be made.  At least twice a year, I get a face full of water because the lid on the bottle pops off when I am trying to get a drink.  The valves seem to get stuck alot too.

Thank goodness for CamelBak.  They have made, what I think is the world’s best water bottle.  They call it the Podium Bottle, and it is full of innovative features.  You may be thinking to yourself…”Who cares about features on a water bottle?”  I thought the same thing, until I tried it.  Here are some of the features: The valve can be turned on or off, so there is no leaking when you don’t want water to come out.  The valve is also self sealing, so even if the valve is turned on, water will only flow when you suck on the valve or squeeze the bottle.  The valve is made from medical grade silicone, so there is no leaking or spraying during the ride.  This keeps my Pommegranate Berry flavored Cytomax in my mouth instead of all over my white shoes (nobody wants purple stains on their bike shoes).  Another great feature of the bottle is that it is easy to regulate the flow.  You can take small sips or squirt half the bottle at one time.  It is easy to do either one.  The old Specialized bottles squirt at one rate and it usually gets water everywhere.   The bottle is made from a taste free, BPA free plastic and is lined with an anti-bactierial coating.  CamelBak has thought of everything. 

Suggested Retail is $9.00, but you can pick them up for slightly cheaper at various retailers.  After using it one time, I replaced my entire collection of bottles.  It is kind of like riding SRAM……once you use it, everything else seems like junk.

Check out these on-line retailers to pick up a CamelBak Podium Bottle.  You won’t be disapointed.

Backcountry.com

CamelBak Podium Bottle - 24oz

REI:

CamelBak Podium Bottle - 24 oz.

Nashbar:

The Astana press release is included below:

PRESS RELEASE Team Astana Terminates Vladimir Gusev Astana Cycling Team management has terminated the contract of Russian cyclist Vladimir Gusev due to irregular values. The values were gathered during internal out-of-competition control tests, under the supervision of anti-doping expert Dr. Rasmus Damsgaard.  The Team has applied the contractual clauses based on these physiological and biological abnormalities.  “Vladimir Gusev has been officially notified that he no longer represents Team Astana”, said General Manager Johan Bruyneel. “Though his results do not indicate the use of forbidden substances, Vladimir’s values exceeded the normal parameters established by Dr. Damsgaard and were not compliant with the strict agreement signed by all thirty riders. Our Kazakh sponsors have also been made aware of this decision and are fully supportive.”  Bruyneel further commented: ”It’s impossible for any team manager to know the activities of riders behind closed doors, but we continue to enforce that Team Astana has a 100% no tolerance policy and any violators will serve the same fate as Vladimir.  On a brighter note, this proves that Dr. Damsgaard’s system works and we are committed to racing clean.”  Under Dr. Damsgaard’s anti-doping system, Team Astana riders are frequently required to submit blood and urine samples, which are then sent to independent labs for analysis.  This system, also instituted by CSC-Saxo Bank, is in addition to any sport or Olympic governing body’s tests.  “Certainly these situations are unfortunate, but I truly believe that we are continuing to see a cleaner sport with a large majority of credible riders. Teams like Astana and CSC-Saxo Bank have shown their full commitment to my program and I, in return, have committed all my resources to their firm anti-doping stance”, said Dr. Damsgaard. 

Vladimir Gusev’s release is effective immediately and he is free to seek employment with another team or company.

Due to the respect and privacy of the rider involved, the Team will not release any further information at this time.

The Shriek:

The Dog:

The Headbutt:

Make it stop!!!!  No more CSC.  No more wheel sucking up a mountain.  No more waiting for something to happen.  I don’t wake up at 4:30 in the morning to see people looking around at each other.  I want to see someone actually ride to win this thing.  It is for that reason that I change my mind.  I don’t want Cadel Evans to win anymore.  I want Sastre to blow him out of the water in the time trial on Saturday.  Anyone with the guts to take off on their own up the Alpe D’huez and make it alone to the top deserves the win.  I also change my mind on Astana.  I now wish that they had been allowed to race.  Contador would have won this thing by 10 minutes or more. 

This is not the most exciting Tour de France in a long time.  This is boring junk racing.  Just because a race is close, doesn’t make it exciting.  I can’t wait for Sunday, because by then I can start forgetting this year and start looking forward to something better next year. 

Notice anything about Frank in the picture above?  He is wearing a yellow jersey.  Notice anything else?…..yellow shorts?…..yellow helmet?…..yellow shoes?…..yellow bike?  No way.  Frank does it the right way.  Wearing yellow doesn’t mean looking like a human school bus.  It is a yellow jersey, not a yellow outfit.  Props to Frank for doing it right.

How do you catch a doper?  Well, as the UCI and officials at the Giro D’Italia have shown, it isn’t that easy.  Ricardo Ricco has gone through countless doping controls this year and he wasn’t caught until he came to the Tour de France.  Are WADA, UCI, and Giro anti-dopage officials incompetent?…….well, no comment.

It was reported that Ricardo Ricco had been targeted and was tested almost daily starting even days before the Tour started.  I have heard rumors that the Tour needed to test Ricco multiple times because they needed a large amount of urine in order to boil it down and find remaining substances left behind.  In order to have a large enough amount of substance left behind to test, a large amount of urine was needed.  I cannot confirm that this is the method that was used, but it sounds logical.  It doesn’t necessarily conform to the testing rules, but if it catches someone, then congratulations to the French Anti-Dopage authorities.

Just remind your kids that the sky is the limit on what they can become when they grow up…professional cyclist, astronaut, president, or urine boiler for the Tour de France.

The podium this year has been set.

1. Beltran
2. Duenas
3. Ricco

Fourth Place is waiting….it will be filled. My guess is 4th spot will be filled by someone that has already withdrawn from the race.

 Moises was tested last week and the result was non-negative for EPO.  He is awaiting the results of a backup sample.  The backup sample is most likely to be positive for EPO seeing that the French Police found doping substances in his hotel room.  A few other Barloworld riders mysteriously were removed from the Tour because of injuries. 

Barloworld is now down to six riders and based on the fact that actual doping substances were found in a team hotel room, the team should be removed from the race never to return again. 

We are waiting for the #3 rider to test positive….maybe it will be a bunch sprint and 3rd, 4th, and 5th place will come in at the same time.

Manuel Beltran

The first rider to test positive during this year’s Tour de France.  Beltran tested positive for EPO after stage #1.  Beltran was a teammate of Lance Armstrong during 3 of Lance’s 7 wins (insert whatever inference that you wish).  You can come to whatever conclusions you wish, but there are now five riders, by my count, that have been caught doping and have been big time players on Lance Armstong’s Tour de France teams.  Just off of the top of my head, Floyd Landis, Roberto Heras, Tyler Hamilton, and now Manuel Beltran have all tested positive.  Frankie Andreu never tested positive, but he admits to using EPO to help Lance win one of his Tour titles.

So all the talk about a clean tour has come to an end for yet another year.  Christian Prudhomme, and the other employees at ASO, have put on a great race, but it is not a race without drugs.

The next most likely step will be Liquigas, Beltran’s team, deciding to withdraw from the Tour (maybe…they haven’t volunteered yet).  The bad news will not likely be the last during the Tour.  It took longer last year for scandal to arrive, and then they wouldn’t stop.  There are still two full weeks of racing.  I am sure there will be more to come.