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Levi Leipheimer (Mellow Johnny’s) left no doubt on Mount Nebo Thursday when he rode away from an elite selection of six riders high on the summit climb to take the stage and the overall lead at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. Leipheimer countered an attack by 2009 overall winner Francisco Mancebo (Canyon Bicycles) 5km from the finish and held off Mancebo and Ian Boswell (Bissell) for win.

Leipheimer, who said Tuesday that he is in Utah for stage wins and training, will enter the stage 3 time trial with a roughly 15-second advantage over Mancebo. Darren Lill (Fly V Australia) made the final selection and climbed into the best Utah rider’s jersey, while Boswell took control in the best young rider’s competition.

Please check back for a complete report and Casey B. Gibson photos.

Complete results

Brief results:
Stage 2:

• 1. Levi Leipheimer, Mellow Johnny’s in 3.11:43
• 2. Francisco Mancebo Perez, Canyon Bicycles, at 3.12:34
• 3. Ian Boswell, Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 3.12:35
• 4. Darren Lill, V Australia, at 3.12:43
• 5. Phillip Zajicek, V Australia, at 3.13:01

GC after stage 2:

• 1. Levi Leipheimer, Mellow Johnny’s, in 6.40′36″
• 2. Francisco Mancebo Perez, Canyon Bicycle at 56
• 3. Darren Lill, Fly V Australia, at 1:16
• 4. Ian Boswell, Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 1:16
• 5. Phillip Zajicek, V Australia, at 1:34

Stage 2 results
GC after stage 2
Stage 2 race report
All Tour of Utah results Stage 2

• 1. Levi LEIPHEIMER, (USA) Mellow Johnny’s, in 3:11:43
• 2. Francisco MANCEBO PEREZ, (ESP) Canyon Bicycles, at 0:00:51
• 3. Ian BOSWELL, (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at s.t.
• 4. Darren LILL, (RSA) V Australia, at 0:01:00
• 5. Philip ZAJICEK, (USA) V Australia, at 0:01:18
• 6. Jonathan MCCARTY, (USA) Team Rio Grande, at 0:02:00
• 7. Maxim JENKINS, (USA) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling P/b Maxxis, at s.t.
• 8. Tyler WREN, (USA) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at s.t.
• 9. Cesar GRAJALES, (COL) On The Rivet P/b Ion Sports Nutrition, at s.t.
• 10. Tim ROE, (AUS) Trek-Livestrong, at s.t.
• 11. Brent BOOKWALTER, (USA) BMC Racing Team, at 0:02:21
• 12. Robbie SQUIRE, (USA) Team Holowesko Partners, at 0:02:25
• 13. Jai CRAWFORD, (AUS) V Australia, at 0:02:29
• 14. Rory SUTHERLAND, (AUS) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling P/b Maxxis, at 0:02:35
• 15. Lachlan MORTON, (AUS) Team Holowesko Partners, at s.t.
• 16. Alex HAGMAN, (USA) On The Rivet P/b Ion Sports Nutrition, at 0:02:44
• 17. Burke SWINDLEHURST, (USA) Kfan Composite P/b Teamgive, at s.t.
• 18. Jeff LOUDER, (USA) BMC Racing Team, at 0:03:38
• 19. Jason DONALD, (USA) Team Rio Grande, at 0:04:20
• 20. Carter JONES, (USA) Kfan Composite P/b Teamgive, at s.t.
• 21. Paul MACH, (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at s.t.
• 22. James DRISCOLL, (USA) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at s.t.
• 23. Caleb FAIRLY, (USA) Team Holowesko Partners, at s.t.
• 24. Christopher JONES, (USA) Team Type 1, at s.t.
• 25. Evan HUFFMAN, (USA) Adageo Energy Pro Cycling, at 0:04:49
• 26. Joe DOMBROWSKI, (USA) Trek-Livestrong, at 0:06:01
• 27. Andres Ignacio PEREYRA, (ARG) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at 0:06:19
• 28. Dan BOWMAN, (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies, at s.t.
• 29. Ian GRAY, (USA) Team Rio Grande, at s.t.
• 30. Javier MEGIAS LEAL, (ESP) Team Type 1, at s.t.
• 31. Davide FRATTINI, (ITA) Team Type 1, at s.t.
• 32. Jesse MOORE, (USA) California Giant Berry Farms, at s.t.
• 33. Ian HOLT, (USA) Team Rio Grande, at s.t.
• 34. Chad BEYER, (USA) BMC Racing Team, at s.t.
• 35. Valeriy KOBZARENKO, (UKR) Team Type 1, at s.t.
• 36. Corey COLLIER, (USA) On The Rivet P/b Ion Sports Nutrition, at s.t.
• 37. Phillip GAIMON, (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling Team P/b Geargrinder, at 0:06:40
• 38. Robert BRITTON, (CAN) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 0:07:19
• 39. Andrew GUPTILL, (USA) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at s.t.
• 40. Taylor KNEUVEN, (USA) Team Rio Grande, at 0:07:31
• 41. Mike OLHEISER, (USA) Canyon Bicycles, at 0:08:45
• 42. Lang REYNOLDS, (USA) Hagens Berman Cycling, at 0:08:59
• 43. Jordan CHEYNE, (CAN) Exergy, at 0:09:29
• 44. Scott TIETZEL, (USA) Kfan Composite P/b Teamgive, at 0:09:31
• 45. Christopher BALDWIN, (USA) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling P/b Maxxis, at s.t.
• 46. Kai APPLEQUIST, (USA) Exergy, at s.t.
• 47. Sam KRIEG, (USA) Cole Sport, at s.t.
• 48. Andres DIAZ, (COL) Exergy, at s.t.
• 49. Mitchell PETERSON, (USA) Cole Sport, at 0:10:04
• 50. Scott STEWART, (USA) Team Type 1, at 0:10:15
• 51. Alex DOWSETT, (GBR) Trek-Livestrong, at 0:12:32
• 52. Benjamin KING, (AUS) Trek-Livestrong, at s.t.
• 53. Andrei KRASILNIKAY, (BEL) Team Holowesko Partners, at s.t.
• 54. Bradley GEHRIG, (USA) Canyon Bicycles, at 0:12:44
• 55. Todd HAGEMAN, (USA) Cole Sport, at 0:13:19
• 56. Christopher HONG, (USA) Exergy, at s.t.
• 57. Julian KYER, (USA) Trek-Livestrong, at s.t.
• 58. Timothy JOHNSON, (USA) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling P/b Maxxis, at s.t.
• 59. Jonathan MUMFORD, (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies, at s.t.
• 60. Benjamin JACQUES-MAYNES, (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at s.t.
• 61. Spencer SMITHEMAN, (CAN) Hagens Berman Cycling, at s.t.
• 62. Mike FRIEDMAN, (USA) Kfan Composite P/b Teamgive, at s.t.
• 63. Sean PASSAGE, (USA) Hagens Berman Cycling, at s.t.
• 64. Larry WARBASSE, (USA) BMC Racing Team, at s.t.
• 65. Alister RATCLIFF, (USA) Adageo Energy Pro Cycling, at s.t.
• 66. Darren ROLFE, (AUS) V Australia, at s.t.
• 67. Jonathan BAKER, (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling Team P/b Geargrinder, at s.t.
• 68. Morgan SCHMITT, (USA) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling P/b Maxxis, at s.t.
• 69. David TANNER, (AUS) V Australia, at s.t.
• 70. Sidney TABERLAY, (USA) California Giant Berry Farms, at s.t.
• 71. Chris WINN, (AUS) Team Rio Grande, at 0:13:24
• 72. Jonathan GARCIA, (USA) Team Rio Grande, at s.t.
• 73. Francis (Gardie) JACKSON, (USA) Cole Sport, at 0:14:01
• 74. Daniel RAMSEY, (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling Team P/b Geargrinder, at s.t.
• 75. John BENNETT, (USA) California Giant Berry Farms, at 0:14:47
• 76. Zach BELL, (CAN) Kelly Benefit Strategies, at 0:15:09
• 77. Peter LATHAM, (NZL) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 0:16:32
• 78. David HARWARD, (USA) Canyon Bicycles, at 0:16:52
• 79. Jeremy VENNELL, (NZL) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 0:17:26
• 80. Patrick BEVIN, (NZL) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at s.t.
• 81. Adam SWITTERS, (USA) Kfan Composite P/b Teamgive, at 0:17:33
• 82. Jesse MILLERSMITH, (USA) California Giant Berry Farms, at 0:17:46
• 83. Marc DE MAAR, (NED) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling P/b Maxxis, at s.t.
• 84. Sam JOHNSON, (USA) Hagens Berman Cycling, at s.t.
• 85. Phil MOONEY, (USA) California Giant Berry Farms, at s.t.
• 86. Taylor PHINNEY, (USA) Trek-Livestrong, at s.t.
• 87. Matthew COOKE, (USA) Kfan Composite P/b Teamgive, at s.t.
• 88. Max DURTSCHI, (USA) Team Holowesko Partners, at s.t.
• 89. K Frank PIPP, (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at s.t.
• 90. Alfredo CRUZ, (USA) Adageo Energy Pro Cycling, at s.t.
• 91. Jay THOMPSON, (RSA) V Australia, at s.t.
• 92. Phil ELSASSER, (USA) Hagens Berman Cycling, at s.t.
• 93. Greg KRAUSE, (USA) V Australia, at s.t.
• 94. Taylor SHELDON, (USA) Team Holowesko Partners, at s.t.
• 95. Danny SUMMERHILL, (USA) Team Holowesko Partners, at s.t.
• 96. Austin CARROLL, (USA) Adageo Energy Pro Cycling, at s.t.
• 97. Kenneth HANSON, (USA) Team Type 1, at s.t.
• 98. Brad BINGHAM, (USA) Team Rio Grande, at s.t.
• 99. Andrew BARKER, (USA) Team Holowesko Partners, at s.t.
• 100. Guido PALMA, (ARG) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at s.t.
• 101. Cody STEVENSON, (USA) Adageo Energy Pro Cycling, at s.t.
• 102. Thomas RABOU, (NED) Team Type 1, at s.t.
• 103. Josh HOROWITZ, (USA) Adageo Energy Pro Cycling, at 0:18:02
• 104. Brad WHITE, (USA) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling P/b Maxxis, at 0:18:43
• 105. Luis ROMERO AMARAN, (CUB) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at s.t.
• 106. Evan HYDE, (USA) On The Rivet P/b Ion Sports Nutrition, at 0:21:11
• 107. Michael LANHAM, (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling Team P/b Geargrinder, at 0:21:20
• 108. Anibal BORRAJO, (ARG) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at 0:21:24
• 109. Fabio CALABRIA, (AUS) Team Type 1, at 0:22:49
• 110. Bill DEMONG, (USA) Cole Sport, at 0:22:57
• 111. Tyler RIEDESEL, (USA) Canyon Bicycles, at s.t.
• 112. Kennett PETERSON, (USA) Hagens Berman Cycling, at 0:23:33
• 113. Eric BENNETT, (USA) Adageo Energy Pro Cycling, at 0:25:33
• 114. Mike SOHM, (USA) Canyon Bicycles, at 0:26:49
• 115. Eddy KWON, (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling Team P/b Geargrinder, at 0:27:11
• 116. Christopher PARRISH, (USA) Hagens Berman Cycling, at 0:27:13
• 117. Ivan DOMINGUEZ, (CUB) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at 0:27:39
• 118. Dan BECHTOLD, (USA) Exergy, at 0:27:56
• 119. Joshua BERRY, (USA) On The Rivet P/b Ion Sports Nutrition, at 0:29:06
• 120. Julian MARTINEZ, (USA) California Giant Berry Farms, at 0:29:19
• 121. Kevin ROWE, (USA) Exergy, at 0:30:01
• 122. Bryson PERRY, (USA) Cole Sport, at 0:31:00
• 123. Remi MCMANUS, (USA) Exergy, at s.t.
• 124. Aaron OLSEN, (USA) Cole Sport, at 0:32:27
• 125. Aaron KEMPS, (AUS) V Australia, at 0:33:52
• 126. Adrian HEGYVARY, (USA) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling P/b Maxxis, at s.t.
• 127. David BROCKBANK, (USA) Canyon Bicycles, at 0:38:40

GC after stage 2

• 1. Leipheimer Levi, (USA) Mellow Johnny’s, in 6:40:36
• 2. Perez Francisco Mancebo, (ESP) Canyon Bicycles, at 0:00:56
• 3. Lill Darren, (RSA) V Australia, at 0:01:16
• 4. Boswell Ian, (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at s.t.
• 5. Zajicek Philip, (USA) V Australia, at 0:01:34
• 6. Grajales Cesar, (COL) On The Rivet P/b Ion Sports Nutrition, at 0:02:13
• 7. Mccarty Jonathan, (USA) Team Rio Grande, at 0:02:17
• 8. Roe Tim, (AUS) Trek-Livestrong, at 0:02:20
• 9. Bookwalter Brent, (USA) BMC Racing Team, at 0:02:24
• 10. Wren Tyler, (USA) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at 0:02:26
• 11. Jenkins Maxim, (USA) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling P/b Maxxis, at 0:02:29
• 12. Sutherland Rory, (AUS) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling P/b Maxxis, at 0:02:39
• 13. Morton Lachlan, (AUS) Team Holowesko Partners, at 0:02:51
• 14. Squire Robbie, (USA) Team Holowesko Partners, at 0:02:54
• 15. Crawford Jai, (AUS) V Australia, at 0:02:58
• 16. Hagman Alex, (USA) On The Rivet P/b Ion Sports Nutrition, at 0:03:11
• 17. Swindlehurst Burke, (USA) Kfan Composite P/b Teamgive, at 0:03:15
• 18. Louder Jeff, (USA) BMC Racing Team, at 0:03:45
• 19. Donald Jason, (USA) Team Rio Grande, at 0:04:33
• 20. Mach Paul, (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 0:04:35
• 21. Fairly Caleb, (USA) Team Holowesko Partners, at 0:04:36
• 22. Jones Carter, (USA) Kfan Composite P/b Teamgive, at 0:04:43
• 23. Driscoll James, (USA) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at 0:04:44
• 24. Jones Christopher, (USA) Team Type 1, at s.t.
• 25. Huffman Evan, (USA) Adageo Energy Pro Cycling, at 0:05:27
• 26. Frattini Davide, (ITA) Team Type 1, at 0:06:36
• 27. Leal Javier Megias, (ESP) Team Type 1, at s.t.
• 28. Beyer Chad, (USA) BMC Racing Team, at 0:06:40
• 29. Pereyra Andres Ignacio, (ARG) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at 0:06:42
• 30. Gray Ian, (USA) Team Rio Grande, at 0:06:43
• 31. Bowman Dan, (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies, at 0:06:46
• 32. Moore Jesse, (USA) California Giant Berry Farms, at 0:06:49
• 33. Kobzarenko Valeriy, (UKR) Team Type 1, at 0:06:55
• 34. Gaimon Phillip, (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling Team P/b Geargrinder, at 0:07:15
• 35. Guptill Andrew, (USA) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at 0:08:01
• 36. Collier Corey, (USA) On The Rivet P/b Ion Sports Nutrition, at 0:08:16
• 37. Holt Ian, (USA) Team Rio Grande, at 0:08:33
• 38. Tietzel Scott, (USA) Kfan Composite P/b Teamgive, at 0:10:02
• 39. Stewart Scott, (USA) Team Type 1, at 0:10:34
• 40. Reynolds Lang, (USA) Hagens Berman Cycling, at 0:11:21
• 41. Cheyne Jordan, (CAN) Exergy, at 0:11:51
• 42. Dombrowski Joe, (USA) Trek-Livestrong, at 0:11:54
• 43. Dowsett Alex, (GBR) Trek-Livestrong, at 0:11:55
• 44. Britton Robert, (CAN) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 0:12:12
• 45. Tanner David, (AUS) V Australia, at 0:12:53
• 46. Krasilnikay Andrei, (BEL) Team Holowesko Partners, at 0:12:54
• 47. King Benjamin, (AUS) Trek-Livestrong, at 0:12:57
• 48. Kneuven Taylor, (USA) Team Rio Grande, at 0:13:28
• 49. Kyer Julian, (USA) Trek-Livestrong, at 0:13:36
• 50. Rolfe Darren, (AUS) V Australia, at 0:13:39
• 51. Schmitt Morgan, (USA) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling P/b Maxxis, at 0:13:42
• 52. Hong Christopher, (USA) Exergy, at 0:14:11
• 53. Bennett John, (USA) California Giant Berry Farms, at 0:15:21
• 54. Garcia Jonathan, (USA) Team Rio Grande, at 0:15:28
• 55. Olheiser Mike, (USA) Canyon Bicycles, at 0:15:30
• 56. Baldwin Christopher, (USA) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling P/b Maxxis, at 0:16:14
• 57. Krieg Sam, (USA) Cole Sport, at 0:17:19
• 58. Jacques-maynes Benjamin, (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at s.t.
• 59. Pipp K Frank, (USA) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 0:18:01
• 60. Gehrig Bradley, (USA) Canyon Bicycles, at 0:18:03
• 61. Barker Andrew, (USA) Team Holowesko Partners, at 0:18:08
• 62. Warbasse Larry, (USA) BMC Racing Team, at 0:18:14
• 63. Maar Marc De, (NED) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling P/b Maxxis, at 0:18:22
• 64. Cooke Matthew, (USA) Kfan Composite P/b Teamgive, at 0:18:31
• 65. Winn Chris, (AUS) Team Rio Grande, at 0:18:40
• 66. Mumford Jonathan, (USA) Kelly Benefit Strategies, at 0:18:59
• 67. Smitheman Spencer, (CAN) Hagens Berman Cycling, at 0:19:03
• 68. Ratcliff Alister, (USA) Adageo Energy Pro Cycling, at 0:19:08
• 69. Ramsey Daniel, (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling Team P/b Geargrinder, at 0:19:13
• 70. Taberlay Sidney, (USA) California Giant Berry Farms, at 0:19:19
• 71. Durtschi Max, (USA) Team Holowesko Partners, at 0:19:47
• 72. Diaz Andres, (COL) Exergy, at 0:20:09
• 73. Applequist Kai, (USA) Exergy, at 0:20:11
• 74. Peterson Mitchell, (USA) Cole Sport, at 0:20:55
• 75. Passage Sean, (USA) Hagens Berman Cycling, at 0:22:00
• 76. Summerhill Danny, (USA) Team Holowesko Partners, at 0:22:46
• 77. Millersmith Jesse, (USA) California Giant Berry Farms, at 0:22:59
• 78. Friedman Mike, (USA) Kfan Composite P/b Teamgive, at 0:23:45
• 79. Baker Jonathan, (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling Team P/b Geargrinder, at 0:23:46
• 80. Johnson Timothy, (USA) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling P/b Maxxis, at s.t.
• 81. Switters Adam, (USA) Kfan Composite P/b Teamgive, at 0:26:13
• 82. Latham Peter, (NZL) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 0:26:45
• 83. Harward David, (USA) Canyon Bicycles, at 0:27:34
• 84. Vennell Jeremy, (NZL) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 0:27:36
• 85. Thompson Jay, (RSA) V Australia, at 0:28:08
• 86. Mooney Phil, (USA) California Giant Berry Farms, at 0:28:10
• 87. Amaran Luis Romero, (CUB) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at 0:29:01
• 88. Demong Bill, (USA) Cole Sport, at 0:30:52
• 89. Sheldon Taylor, (USA) Team Holowesko Partners, at 0:30:57
• 90. Bingham Brad, (USA) Team Rio Grande, at 0:31:20
• 91. Carroll Austin, (USA) Adageo Energy Pro Cycling, at 0:31:42
• 92. Krause Greg, (USA) V Australia, at s.t.
• 93. Bell Zach, (CAN) Kelly Benefit Strategies, at 0:32:38
• 94. White Brad, (USA) Unitedhealthcare Pro Cycling P/b Maxxis, at 0:32:43
• 95. Parrish Christopher, (USA) Hagens Berman Cycling, at 0:32:56
• 96. Kwon Eddy, (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling Team P/b Geargrinder, at 0:33:14
• 97. Calabria Fabio, (AUS) Team Type 1, at 0:33:39
• 98. Bechtold Dan, (USA) Exergy, at 0:33:47
• 99. Johnson Sam, (USA) Hagens Berman Cycling, at 0:33:57
• 100. Phinney Taylor, (USA) Trek-Livestrong, at 0:34:46
• 101. Rabou Thomas, (NED) Team Type 1, at 0:35:22
• 102. Hanson Kenneth, (USA) Team Type 1, at 0:35:38
• 103. Cruz Alfredo, (USA) Adageo Energy Pro Cycling, at 0:35:39
• 104. Elsasser Phil, (USA) Hagens Berman Cycling, at 0:35:43
• 105. Palma Guido, (ARG) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at 0:35:50
• 106. Horowitz Josh, (USA) Adageo Energy Pro Cycling, at 0:36:19
• 107. Dominguez Ivan, (CUB) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at 0:38:23
• 108. Hyde Evan, (USA) On The Rivet P/b Ion Sports Nutrition, at 0:38:53
• 109. Borrajo Anibal, (ARG) Jamis/sutter Home P/b Colavita, at 0:38:55
• 110. Riedesel Tyler, (USA) Canyon Bicycles, at 0:39:09
• 111. Peterson Kennett, (USA) Hagens Berman Cycling, at 0:41:17
• 112. Hageman Todd, (USA) Cole Sport, at 0:41:47
• 113. Lanham Michael, (USA) Kenda Pro Cycling Team P/b Geargrinder, at 0:42:41
• 114. Sohm Mike, (USA) Canyon Bicycles, at 0:44:36
• 115. Jackson Francis (gardie), (USA) Cole Sport, at 0:44:53
• 116. Bevin Patrick, (NZL) Bissell Pro Cycling Team, at 0:47:50
• 117. Stevenson Cody, (USA) Adageo Energy Pro Cycling, at 0:48:18
• 118. Bennett Eric, (USA) Adageo Energy Pro Cycling, at 0:56:05

We have been following the Reed Bates’ case since pretty much the day the saga began. At the very outset, I called a couple of the people closely involved with Mr. Bates and offered the League’s help; it did appear that the charges were inappropriate, that Bates had a legal right to ride where he was riding, and that the jury that Bates chose to be heard by was incorrectly instructed by the first judge involved. On that basis, we would have been happy to help defend his right to ride on the road.

Our offer to assist was not accepted; instead, he and his advisers chose to assert that not only was Bates legally allowed to ride where he was riding, but that’s where he and everyone else should be riding, even in the presence of a perfectly rideable shoulder. That approach took the issue beyond a strict legal argument as to where one is legally allowed to ride to where one should ride, and a rural Texas courtroom may not be the best place to have that call made on our behalf.  As the situation has developed, Bates (and the people advising him) has unfortunately chosen to follow a strategy that our board and legal advisers did not think was in the best interests of all cyclists – from the initial trial by jury preference to a failure to show up for court dates and hearings to the pursuit of a position that is simply not reasonable and could easily backfire.

We have remained in touch with the issue with local Dallas-area advocates,  Bike Texas and our board of directors. It is instructive that none of us have chosen to get involved. I think we all regret that the way the case has been played by Bates and his advisers has precluded us from constructively intervening to help him and defend our collective rights to the road.

Andy Clarke
President, League of American Bicyclists

Drawing of the 'Ped Plaza' as it would look on N. Mississippi Ave.
(Illustration by Joshua Cohen/Fat Pencil Studio)

When San Francisco debuted their "sidewalk extensions" back in February, they made quite an impression here in Portland. Local environmental scientist Rebecca Hamilton was so inspired by the idea she threw herself head-first into bringing one to Portland.

Hamilton is behind Re-thinking the Right of Way (RetROW), a grassroots group hoping to install "ped plazas" in Portland. The mini plazas would transform 1-2 on-street parking spaces into benches, planters, and maybe even a bit of bike parking. Hamilton sees the plazas as a way to make streets more human-scale:

"We've got some avenues that are very pedestrian intensive... but you can see there's a greater need for people in those spaces than there is for on-street parking. It might be time to think of re-purposing that space for people instead of private storage space. It's also a great way to build community and strengthen the neighborhood."

A ped plaza made by San Francisco's Rebar Group.
(Photo: RebarGroup.org)

After New York City unveiled their version of the "sidewalk extension" (which they dubbed a "pop-up cafe") last week, I checked in on how Hamilton's efforts are coming along.

Hamilton and her partner on the project, architect Joshua Cohen of Fat Pencil Studio, met with PBOT back in March and have nothing but praise for how supportive the City has been. PBOT staff have suggested possible locations, advised them on engineering and liability issues, and connected them with potentially supportive businesses. In May, RetROW applied for a Community Livability Grant through the Portland Development Commission and PBOT wrote a letter of support for their application. The letter, signed by PBOT Director Sue Keil, stated:

"This project offers an innovative and low cost approach to improve the pedestrian environment and enhance community vibrancy in Portland's neighborhood commercial centers."

Unfortunately they didn't get the grant, but that hasn't stopped Hamilton from trying to move the idea forward.

"We want to put some cool things out there to get people tugging at PBOT's pant legs and saying 'Hey, we want these!'"
-- Rebecca Hamilton, RetROW

While Hamilton maintains, "We have a good relationship with the city" she also acknowledges that there are some "major issues to work out before they're willing to put something on the streets." Liability is a big one. The City has to be sure who's responsible for the structure (them or the adjacent business owner). There's also the permitting process, which includes a design and engineering review; support from local neighborhoods and businesses; a maintenance agreement; and a repair budget and contingency plan in case the structure is damaged.

New York City's pop-up cafe reportedly took just 35 days from idea to installation. Hamilton says she's also learned that New York City flew out a designer from San Francisco's Pavement to Parks program to kick-start their project. That's a sign, Hamilton says, "That means those cities are actively trying to incorporate this sort of space into their environment."

Ped plazas would make a lot
of sense on Alberta Street, where
crowded sidewalks are common.
(Photo © J. Maus)

I asked Hamilton why she thinks PBOT, who has known and supported the idea since March, hasn't made it happen yet. She says it feels "Like something that we're trying to push from the ground up. It doesn't seem yet that there's a big enough demand from the people for them [PBOT] to start working top down and investing their time and resources on this project."

Hamilton said New York City and San Francisco both already have city-sponsored programs specifically to re-purpose street space to create more public plazas; the New York City Public Plaza Program and Pavement to Parks respectively. Both cities also have planning documents in place that support the plazas.

"Without a government mandate," Hamilton says, "and with no dedicated financial or personnel resources within the City to pursue this, much of the leg work and funding for Ped Plazas is up to the people that want them."

Hamilton's hope is to get one of the ped plazas installed as a pilot. Right now, she thinks it would be easier to buy an existing structure from San Francisco-based Rebar Group, who has already made and tested the design. The price to get it to Portland is $15,000 (once the first one is installed, then they'd create a Portland-made version).

RetROW is now focusing their efforts on doing more community outreach. Their big target is Park(ing) Day which is September 17th. Hamilton says they're also looking for business owners who might be interested in hosting a "one-day parklet" in front of their shop. And of course they need more community support. "We want to put some cool things out there to get people tugging at PBOT's pant legs and saying 'Hey, we want these!'"

To learn more, visit RetROW.org or email Rebecca Hamilton at rebecca[dot]hamilton[at]retrow[dot]org.

New cross-country fork with carbon lowers and sub-1,500g weight

André Greipel (HTC-Columbia) won the second stage of the Eneco Tour of Benelux on Thursday, out-kicking Katusha’s Robbie McEwen in a field sprint into the Belgian town of Ardooie.

André Greipel picked the right wheel to follow in winning the second stage of the Eneco Tour.

McEwen, winner of Wednesday’s first stage, finished ahead of Norwegian Edvald Boasson Hagen (Sky).

Garmin-Transitions’ Svein Tuft winner of the prologue on Tuesday, finished in the main field and held on to his overall lead.

The day was marked by the long 185-kilometer break by three riders – break (185 km) of three men – Stijn Neirynck, (Topsport Vlaanderen), Michal Golas (Vacansoleil) and Miguel Minguez Ayala, (Euskaltel-Euskadi). Led by Tuft’s Garmin squad, however, the break was reeled in some 15km from the finish and the peloton jostled for the expected field sprint.

“I decided to watch Boasson Hagen’s wheel going in to the sprint,” said Greipel. “It turned out to be the right choice.”

Svein Tuft gets another day in the leader's jersey at the Eneco Tour.

Greipel launched off of the Sky rider’s wheel with 200 meters to go and passed McEwen to earn his 17th win of the season. Greipel recently announced plans to join the Belgian Omega Pharma team next year.

The race continues Friday with a 192km race around Ronse, Belgium, a stage that is reminiscent of the Tour of Flanders, including several famous climbs, among them the Kwaremont.

Tuft, who holds only a three second lead over defending Eneco champion Boasson Hagen, said he expects “to be put in difficulty tomorrow, but I will fight to keep the jersey.”

After weeks of speculation that Rabobank’s Denis Menchov was poised to join the Russian-sponsored Katusha team, the two-time winner of the Vuelta a España has signed with Spain’s team Geox.

Menchov has three grand tours to his credit. | Graham Watson photo

Menchov, third at this year’s Tour de France, will join 2008 Tour winner Carlos Sastre on the team that once operated under the Saunier Duval banner and is currently sponsored by Footon-Servetto.

Signing Menchov, winner of the 2009 Giro d’Italia, represents a big score for the team that only two years ago was poised at the brink of collapse, following positive doping tests from two of its star riders Ricardo Ricco and Leonardo Piepoli.

“We’re very happy to see Denis Menchov quickly understood the level of commitment we have to making next year a big success for this team,” explained General Manager Mauro Gianetti. “With Carlos Sastre already on board, they will represent a very competitive combination in grand tours.

“Denis’ strength in the time trial is a perfect complement to Carlos’ pure climbing style. At this point, the Geox team is coming together as we had hoped and we still have some interesting riders to add to the roster before the year is up.”

(Related: A list of recent confirmed ProTour transfers, extensions and retirements)

Alex Dowsett and George Hincapie on a stage 1 descent

Thursday’s second stage at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah is a brute. Riders roll along nearly flat roads west of Utah Lake before passing through the town of Nephi near the southern end of the Wasatch Mountains.

The nearly 13-mile climb of the range’s tallest peak begins almost immediately after the peloton leaves town. The serious business comes at the winter closure gate, about 65 miles from the start.

The gate marks the start of a five-mile section of 10-percent-plus grades. The road eases back slightly midway up the climb, but a series of steep ramps and false flats take riders to the finish at almost 9,300 feet.

The pace in stage 1 was indicative of the hard day awaiting the peloton. While the stage finished with a long descent of Emigration Canyon, the Big Mountain stage had been decisive the last two years. There was nothing doing this time around, however, as the overall contenders played their cards close to the chest and David Tanner (Fly V Australia) rode to a breakaway win.

Fresh off two weeks of sea-level criterium racing in Europe, Marc de Maar (UnitedHealthcare-Maxxis) was surprised by the pace. “We weren’t going very hard. I was still there and I’m not in my best shape,” he said. “Maybe I’m better than I thought.”

The Quick Step-bound Dutchman may be better than he thought. Best Utah rider Jeff Louder (BMC Racing) said the tempo was high, but not break-neck all day. “There wasn’t a lot of talking today,” said Louder, the 2008 overall winner. “It was pretty intense. It was really fast. All day we were going really quick and there was a lot of tailwind. Really the only time to settle down was after we went through the Morgan Valley, after the feedzone and we were heading toward the climb.”

Two riders used to dishing out the pain in the mountains were hurting Wednesday. Consummate veteran Chris Baldwin (UnitedHealthcare) and Tour of California KOM Thomas Rabou (Team Type 1) each had trouble matching the pace on the day’s two KOM’s. “Yesterday I was really suffering,” said Rabou.

George Hincapie (BMC) said that the pace wasn’t punishing, but with no acclimation, the day was no walk in the park for the U.S.champion.

Did the peloton sit up ahead of what may be one of the hardest day’s in the race’s history?

Cesare Grajales on a descent Wednesday

“I think there was a little bit of that, mostly because we just know how hard (Thursday)’s going to be,” former Garmin pro Jason Donald, who is riding with Rio Grande Racing, said on Thursday. “Today’s the real day. Nothing really matters until today.”

Alex Hagman, who is supporting Cesar Grajales’ GC bid for On The Rivet-Ion, agreed. “You can tell a lot of the top guys weren’t throwing it all out on the line,” he said. “It was going to come together on that descent and with 50 guys making it over that climb, it wasn’t hard, hard. It was hard, but it wasn’t putting the nail on the coffin kind of hard.”

With narrow time differences, a punishing mountaintop finish and a strong chance of rain, Thursday is in fact the day for the first GC shots to fire. With somewhat fresh legs, the contenders will go full punch to Mount Nebo and we will no doubt see a dramatic shuffling in the GC.

Front page of today's Portland Tribune.

Few anti-bike ideas are as stubborn as the age-old cries of "Bikes are bad for business!" In Portland, when our bikeway network was gaining steam in the 1990s, PBOT faced battle after battle when they tried to stripe bike lanes on streets adjacent to businesses. As recently as this past May, KATU-TV (our local ABC affiliate) promoted the fallacy with their infamous "Bike path to nowhere" story which was a fitting follow-up to their "Businesses fear city bike plan might drive people away" piece which aired after the 2030 Bike Plan passed last October.

But times are changing, at least in Portland.

This morning, the Portland Business Journal hosted a "Power Breakfast" with Bike Gallery owner, Oregon State Parks commissioner, and national bicycle industry and advocacy powerhouse Jay Graves. Graves has become something of a de facto spokesperson for the business benefits of bicycling in recent years. He sits on the Transportation Committee of the Portland Business Alliance and they even honored him with an award at their annual meeting back in April for his work on the 2030 Bike Plan.

"Bike-centric" flats under construction
on N. Williams.
(Photo © J. Maus)

Also this morning, the Portland Tribune has a story on their front page titled, "Bikes mean business on Williams: Cycling culture proves lucrative on Portland's 'best bike street'". The story details the "bicycle-oriented development" (a play on the more well-known term, transit-oriented development) that I first pointed out back in January. Here's a snip from the Tribune piece:

"...the business community along Williams has embraced the biking theme like no other business district in town... The street has three street-side bike corrals that have replaced parking spots, and local restaurants have signs encouraging bike commuters to take advantage of their happy hours."

This coming October when the national Rail-Volution conference comes to Portland, the drumbeat of bikes being good for business will get even louder. One of the panel discussions on the schedule is titled, Biketopia: Is Bicycle Oriented Development (BOD) the new TOD [Transit Oriented Development]?. I'll sit on that panel with Portland real estate developer Jon Kellogg (the man responsible for much of the bike-centric tenants on N. Williams). We'll share with the transit folks how a bike-friendly street can spur business just as effectively (if not more so) than light rail and streetcars.

While these signs are positive, Portland is sure to face future anti-bike, pro-business arguments again. But my hunch is that those arguments will be fewer and farther between and eventually, as the N Williams phenomenon gets more attention and more copycats, those anti-bike arguments -- like the one made on Seattle's Crosscut blog yesterday -- will fade away.

Stage 1, 2010 Tour of Utah, Alex Dowsett

Alex Dowsett (Trek-Livestrong) is tired of finishing second. The 22-year-old Briton took solace in his new overall lead at the end of stage 1 at the Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah Wednesday after finishing runner-up on the day to David Tanner (Fly V Australia).

“With such small margins after the prologue, if there’s ever a day to do it, it’s today,” said the British U23 time trial champ, who lives with hemophilia. “I was more concerned about yellow. I know Dave quite well and I know that he has quite a kick on him, so I didn’t really fancy my chances at the finish anyway. To be honest, yellow was more the priority.”

Dowsett, who ran seventh in the U23 world time trial championship in 2009, opened the tour Tuesday with a near miss behind teammate Taylor Phinney in the Capitol Prologue. A month earlier, he kicked the Cascade Classic off with a second-place prologue ride, as another teammate, Jesse Sergent, stole the leader’s jersey. Five days later, the Great Britain Cycling Academy product had his redemption, though, when he took Cascade’s final stage with a late, solo move on a rolling descent from Awbrey Butte.

Alex Dowsett palmares

• Overall leader, Tour of Utah 2010
• 2nd, Tour of Utah prologue 2010
• 2nd, Tour of Utah stage 1 2010
• 1st, Cascade Classic stage 5 2010
• 2nd, Cascade Classic prologue 2010
• 1st, European U23 Time Trial Championship 2010
• 4th, Olympia’s Tour Prologue 2010
• 8th, Tour of the Battenkill 2010
• 7th, World U23 Time Trial Championship 2009
• 1st, Great Britain U23 Time Trial Championship 2009
• 1st, Great Britain U23 Time Trial Championship 2008

“The little climbs are what I do best, really, with my time trialing and that, so I just kind of used what I had left to power over them,” said Dowsett at the finish in Bend, Oregon.

That win came nine days after the dry-humored Brit won the U23 title at the European championships in Akara, Turkey. “I pushed so hard in the Europeans,” he said. “I went harder than I’ve ever gone, really.

He left the championships sick the next day and flew to Oregon after the weekend, arriving just two days before the prologue. “I didn’t expect it today,” said Dowsett. “I did Europeans Friday afternoon and was very ill afterwards and I haven’t ridden a bike since then, traveling from Turkey to England to here, so I wasn’t expecting much.”

Dowsett entered the season as a new recruit for Axel Merckx’s Team RadioShack feeder program. The final-year espoir fielded offers from multiple teams in the offseason and was set to sign with Rapha Condor Sharp before Trek took interest after worlds. Rapha director John Herety wished Dowsett well when the offer came in and Dowsett settled up for a season with the U.S. Continental team.

He featured in his first races of the year, the tours of Qatar and Oman, against ProTour fields. Dowsett jumped into what looked to be a promising breakaway on the third day in Qatar and made the daylong move in stage 2 at Oman. He also rode away with the split a few days later that caught race leader Edvald Boasson Hagen (Team Sky) out and cost him the jersey.

Watch a post-race interview with Dowsett on CompetitorTV

A week later he went out for his first ride in his newly adopted American hometown of Boulder, Colorado. The three-hour jaunt into the hills above town left him wrecked. He said afterward that it felt like he’d just finished a weeklong stage race.

Three months later, the multiple-time British junior time trial champion was acclimated and rode to his first top-10 on the National Racing Calendar, finishing seventh in the time trial at the SRAM Tour of the Gila. Sergent won that stage, announcing to the peloton that Trek-Livestrong would be a force in the TT this year. A fourth-place finish in the Olympia’s Tour prologue – behind Phinney – followed, but a fractured shoulder in May derailed Dowsett’s Paris-Roubaix Espoirs plans; Phinney won the race without him.

Looking forward to Thursday’s climb of Mount Nebo, the highest peak in the Wasatch Range, the new race leader said, “I just know that it’s flat and uphill. That’s good enough for me.” The TT specialist hoped to conserve time on the steep ramps of the mountain’s southern flank and make a run at the stage 3 time trial Friday night. “If I can limit my losses (Thursday) and then do a good time trial, we’ll see what happens in the crit and the final stage.”

Italy’s Liquigas team has signed deals with 14 riders, including breakout star Peter Sagan, to solidify its base going into the future.

The team recently lost the talents of 24-year-old Roman Kreuziger, who will move to Astana at season’s end. While Kreuziger has developed into a solid GC hope — having won both the Tour of Romandie and Tour Switzerland in recent years — the team has been pleasantly surprised by strong performances by Sagan.

The team had already penned deals with star riders Ivan Basso and Vincenzo Nibali that will keep them in the green jerseys through 2012. Sagan and his brother, Juraj, are have also signed on through the 2012 season.

“We are giving continuity to the team that we have demonstrated this year to be competitive on all fronts,” said team manager Roberto Amadio in a team release. “We are looking to the future and with that is a nucleus of young riders. This is not a gamble, but part of a philosophy that we believe in deeply.”

The squad has confirmed 18 riders for 2011 and revealed this list of 14 riders it recently confirmed for the next year or two:

• Through 2012: Daniel Oss, Jacopo Guarnieri, Valerio Agnoli, Davide Cimolai, Fabio Sabatini, Elia Viviani, Kristjan Koren, Macjej Bodnar, Sylwester Szmyd and Alessando Vanotti
• Through 2011: Mauro Finetto, Macjej Pateski, Francesco Belloti, Tiziano Dall’Antonia

(Related: A list of recent confirmed ProTour transfers, extensions and retirements)

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Michael Barry (Team Sky) hopes to recover from a broken rib suffered Wednesday at the Eneco Tour in time to race a pair of ProTour races on home roads in Canada next month.

Team Sky's Michael Barry at this year's Giro d'Italia.

Barry, racing again following his Tour de France debut in July, got caught up in a crash 33km from the finish in Wednesday’s stage at the Eneco Tour. He was able to finish the stage, but post-race X-rays at a local hospital confirmed a broken rib.

Barry was not able to start Thursday’s second stage.

“I was disappointed that I was unable to start this morning but the pain and injury are too severe to keep going,” Barry said on Team Sky’s web page. “My fitness is quite good at the moment and I was very keen to race but as I also fractured a rib during the Tour de France it makes more sense to let my body heal properly rather than push through the pain and risk further injury.”

Barry will now focus on being ready for the ProTour races in Quebec and Montreal on September 10 and 12, respectively, where he’ll be riding in front of his home fans.

“I will need a few weeks to recover fully and hopefully I will be able to maintain some fitness for the ProTour races in Canada,” he concluded.

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