(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Giro to Give Away Three of Lance Armstrong's Signed, Custom Helmets Giro, the worldwide leader in high-performance protective gear and equipment for action sports, has announced that they will be giving away three limited edition helmets in a collaboration with Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong Foundation. The Giro Ionos helmets feature custom graphics not normally available to the public and will be presented in conjunction with the 2010 Tour de France, which begins on July 3rd in Rotterdam. Anyone can register to win at www.giro.com. No purchase is necessary to enter the sweepstakes, but Giro strongly encourages contestants to donate to the Livestrong Foundation by visiting www.livestrong.org.
“At Giro we’ve never lost sight of the fact that working with the world’s best athletes is something special,” says Giro’s Senior Sports Marketing Manager, Chuck Platt. “Making custom helmets for Lance is a way for us to show our appreciation and hopefully raise awareness for the Livestrong foundation.”
One of the three Giro Ionos helmets features a design that incorporates numbers for the years that Armstrong won the Tour de France (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005), as well as enlarged, multi-colored signatures. One of the helmets features large, bold lettering. The third style and grand prize is an Ionos that will be debuted by Armstrong on the Tour’s final, 102-kilometer stage from Longjumeau to Paris. This helmet will feature a graphic that will not be unveiled until July 25th and promotes Armstrong’s Livestrong Foundation. All three helmets will be autographed by Armstrong.
“Giro’s been a technical partner of mine for over 15 years,” says the 38 year-old Armstrong. “They always go out of their way to create something special for us when it comes to the Tour. Now anyone has a chance to get one of the special helmets that are normally only found in my gear bag.”
As of now, anyone can go to Giro's global website, www.giro.com, and register to win any of the three helmets by simply providing their name and email address. No purchase is necessary to win. All three helmets will be given away at the end of July.
Easton gives you the chance to win Cadel Evans' wheels! (Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Easton Cycling Giving Away a Wheelset Every Day of Tour de France To celebrate the 97th edition of the Tour de France, Easton Cycling is giving riders everywhere a chance to win a pair of the exact same carbon fiber wheels that will be used by the Easton-sponsored Team BMC Racing for each of the 21 days of the 2,200-mile race.
“We've worked hand-in-hand with the BMC riders to be able to provide the exact right wheel for any condition they'll encounter in a race like the Tour,” says Easton Cycling Brand Manager Kevin Franks.
“We're all huge fans of the team here at Easton and it just made sense to us to give people a chance to win the same wheels the guys are on in France.”
To win, Easton invites Tour watchers to visit www.eastoncycling.com for more information. The wheels that will be given away will reflect the perfect choice of wheel from the Easton quiver for the demands of that day's course. On flat to rolling stages, Easton will give away a pair of 1335-gram EC90 Aero wheels. For days that see a significant amount of climbing, the 1250-gram EC90 SL will get the nod. For the Tour's three mountain top finishes (stages 8, 14 and 17), the 1175-gram EC90 SLX will prove to be the wheel of choice. While time trials like the Prologue and stage 19 will see the BMC boys relying on deep section EC90 TT wheels, which weigh just 1424-grams per-pair.
At the end of the Tour's final, 102-kilometer stage from Longumeau to Paris, Easton will give away a pair of EC90 SL wheels straight off Cadel Evans' bike. The wheels will feature Easton's custom graphic designed to honor Evans' world championship victory in Mendrisio, Switzerland.
Ivan Basso, 2010 Giro D'Italia Champion and Tour de France GC Contender (Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Cannondale and Ivan Basso Attack the Tour de France with Yellow Jersey in Mind 2010 Giro d'Italia champion and Team Liquigas-Doimo rider Ivan Basso is in Rotterdam, Holland for the start of the world renowned competition with his Cannondale SuperSix Hi-MOD. Basso, the recent winner of the Giro d’Italia, is pegged as a frontrunner for the race which runs from July 3rd through the 25th. Consumers can experience the thrill of the 21 stages and earn a chance to win the SuperSix Hi-MOD by following Basso and the rest of the tour at Cannondale.com.
"I'm really happy to have won the 5th Giro d'Italia title for Cannondale. Now, I want to bring them a Tour de France win! I've trained hard, and am determined to give it my all!" said Ivan Basso.
“The Cannondale SuperSix Hi-MOD is the ultimate riding weapon in a long stage race,” said Bob Burbank, General Manager, Cannondale. “With a Cannondale SuperSix, you can climb better, take corners faster, and be more efficient with every pedal stroke. As Basso, and everyone else who has ridden a Cannondale SuperSix knows, these are all critical features for riding in a race that lasts three weeks.”
The Cannondale SuperSix is the lightest, stiffest carbon road frame in Cannondale’s line of bicycles, boasting the ultimate in pedaling efficiency, super comfort and refined handling. New carbon-fabrication methods shave the complete frame weight to only 900 grams in a 56 cm size, 150 grams lighter than earlier SuperSix models. The frame construction boasts a monocoque front triangle, and separate seat and chain stay layups are mitered and then overwrapped to the front triangle for maximum stiffness. The absence of lugs achieves a lighter frame weight without losing power transfer.
Cannondale Bicycles is the exclusive partner of the MapMyRide and Versus LeTour Challenge. For your chance to win a Cannondale SuperSix Hi-MOD or other prizes, log on to www.Mapmyride.com and virtually participate in each stage of the race by riding your bike and tracking your mileage while the Tour is underway. Then, submit your mileage on Mapmyride.com, GPS device or via the iMapMyRide smartphone application. Prizes will be awarded at the conclusion of each Tour Stage. “The Tour de France is an exciting time for the cycling industry. At Cannondale, we’re thrilled to be able to bring the experience together through our SuperSix and great partners like MapMyRide.com for athletes and consumers alike,” concluded Burbank.
2009 Tour de France runner-up, Andy Schleck, hopes his Zipp Wheels take him to the top of the 2010 podium (Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Zipp Wheels Ready to Roll at Le Tour When the 97th Tour de France rolls out of Rotterdam on Saturday, Zipp will once again be heavily represented among the major contenders. Three teams – Astana Cycling Team, Cervélo Test Team, and Team Saxo Bank – carry serious ambitions and high expectations.
The super light 202 will be the wheel of choice as the GC leaders trade blows in the Alps and Pyrenees. Winner of the 2007 and 2009 Tours, Astana’s Alberto Contador is the clear pre-race favorite. But last year’s 5th and 2nd place finishers, Frank and Andy Schleck of Team Saxo Bank, could have the firepower to make this their year. Cervélo’s Carlos Sastre is coming off an injury, but the 2008 Tour champion is always a rider to watch in the mountains.
Riding the rugged-yet-aero 303 wheelset, Fabian Cancellara (Saxo Bank) put on a clinic at this spring’s Paris-Roubaix, while Norwegian Thor Hushovd (Cervélo) placed second. Stage 3 of the Tour will traverse many of those same cobblestone roads, where Saxo Bank’s Stuart O’Grady is another former winner. Riders will also select the lightweight 303 on moderate mountain stages, as Cervélo’s Heinrich Haussler did for a memorable stage win in 2009. Unfortunately, he’ll miss this year’s Tour due to a knee injury.
The versatile 404 will be a top-choice wheel on any terrain for attacking all-arounders like Astana’s Alexander Vinokourov and Saxo Bank’s Nicki Sorensen, who won a stage last year on the 404. Its balance of aerodynamics and stable handling should prove especially useful in the strong crosswinds expected on Stage 1 from Rotterdam to Brussels. The 404 could also make an appearance on the punchy climbs of Stages 2 and 13.
Both sprinters and time trialists love the stiffness and aerodynamics of the 808. On flat stages, Cervélo’s formidable crew of leadout riders will likely take advantage of its 81mm-deep profile as they support Hushovd’s quest to defend the Green Jersey he won in 2009.
For flat time trials like the Tour’s Prologue and Stage 19, there’s no faster combination than a 1080 front wheel and Super-9 disc. Cancellara’s unparalleled track record makes him the man to beat in the “race of truth,” although Contador’s TT win at last year’s Tour established him among the world’s best. Meanwhile, the Schleck brothers have worked hard to improve in the discipline and Frank’s time trial performance to win last month’s Tour de Suisse surprised many.
|