Lance Armstrong's Bike Stolen, Then Found...

Lance Armstrong's one-of-a-kind TREK time-trial bike was stolen from the Team Astana bus in Sacramento overnight. Armstrong and the rest of Team Astana are in Sacramento for the Amgen Tour of California.

The bike and three other Astana team road bikes were discovered missing sometime this morning. According to Armstrong, " ... it's the only one like it in the world." Armstrong has a backup TT bike he can use in the Solvang time trial if the stolen bike isn't recovered.

A reward is being offered.

Going to the Amgen Tour of California - Stage1? If so you must check stop by the California Bicycle Museum at UC Davis

Emily Blake, left, a UC Davis alumna who lives in Davis, and Drew Tombleson of Woodland check out the Draisienne bike at the California Bicycle Museum during the Celebrate UC Davis! street fair Oct. 12. (Karin Higgins/UC Davis)

Learn a little bicycle history at the California Bike Museum in the basement of the Third and B Street building downtown.

The temporary exhibit includes the Pierce Miller bicycle collection, which features bicycles from as far back as the 1800s, and will be open through the Amgen Tour. The museum, in which the city and UC Davis are partners, opened its inaugural exhibition in October 2008. The show had been scheduled to close in December, but organizers decided to keep it open through the Amgen Tour weekend.

Swiftwalkers to Streamliners, Bicycles 1823–2008, showcases the museum’s Pierce Miller collection, which includes some of the earliest bicycles ever built. One organizer estimated that as many as 4,000 people have visited the museum since its opening around the time of UC Davis’ Centennial Fall Festival last October.

The exhibition in the Third and B Street Building’s basement is open from 9 a.m. to noon every Saturday through Feb. 14, 4-7 p.m. Feb. 11 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 15. Admission is free, with donations accepted.

To inquire about museum tours at other times, contact David Takemoto-Weerts, bicycle program coordinator at UC Davis, (530) 752-2453 or dltakemotoweerts.edu.

More information: http://californiabicyclemuseum.org

Media contact: David Takemoto-Weerts, TAPS bicycle program, (530) 752-2453, dltakemotoweerts@ucdavis.edu.

Popovych rejoins Discovery Team... Err I Meant Astana

Ukrainian Yaroslav Popovych completes the 2009 Team Astana roster. Popovych will support leaders Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer and Alberto Contador in Grand Tours.

Yaroslav Popovych - Team Astana.

Yaroslav Popovych, a top ten Tour de France and Giro d’Italia finisher, has signed a two year agreement with the Astana cycling team. Starting in January 2009, the Ukrainian cyclist will join Johan Bruyneel’s team, which already includes top Grand Tour leaders Lance Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Alberto Contador and Andreas Klöden.

7 time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong to return for '09 Tour?! Does he plan to make it 8?

Lance Armstrong will end his retirement and hopes to compete in the 2009 Tour de France, according to a Velonews cycling journal report.

The 36-year-old seven-time Tour de France champion will compete in five road races with the Astana team in 2009, the cycling journal VeloNews reported on its Web site Monday, citing anonymous sources.

Armstrong's manager Mark Higgins did not immediately respond to a voice mail left by The Associated Press.
The move would reunite Armstrong with Johan Bruyneel, now the team director for Astana.

VeloNews reported Armstrong also will compete in the Amgen Tour of California, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia and the Dauphine-Libere.

The Astana team, however, was not allowed to compete in this year's Tour after Alexandre Vinokourov was kicked out of the 2007 Tour for testing positive and the team quit the race.

VeloNews, which said Vanity Fair will publish an extensive article detailing Armstrong's comeback, said the cyclist will race for no salary or bonuses and post his internally tested blood work online.

Levi Wins The Tour of California

After eight challenging days of cycling through 650-miles of scenic California highways, roadways and coastline drives, Levi Leipheimer (USA) of Astana was crowned as champion of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California for the second consecutive year, with a weeklong total time of 29 hours, 24 minutes and 32 seconds of cycling across California.
A resident of Santa Rosa, CA, Leipheimer battled against the best field ever assembled to compete in the United States, which included Olympic medalists and World Champions, among others.

One of my favorite riders, George Hincapie (USA) of High Road claimed the Stage 7win.

After eight challenging days of cycling through 650-miles of scenic California highways, roadways and coastline drives, Levi Leipheimer (USA) of Astana was crowned as champion of the 2008 Amgen Tour of California for the second consecutive year, with a weeklong total time of 29 hours, 24 minutes and 32 seconds of cycling across California.



A resident of Santa Rosa, CA, Leipheimer battled against the best field ever assembled to compete in the United States, which included Olympic medalists and World Champions, among others.



George Hincapie (USA) of High Road claimed the Stage 7 win.

AmGen Tour of California - Stage 3

Levi Leipheimer and his Astana teammates plotted a path to take control of the Amgen Tour of California today by dominating the tenacious climbs of Mount Hamilton and Sierra Road.

They executed their strategy to perfection.

With the help of as many as four teammates on the tour's toughest day, Leipheimer landed in downtown San Jose with the overall lead of 13 seconds after the grueling 102.7-mile

Stage 3 won by Robert Gesink, with Levi right on his wheel.

Let Levi Ride - Petition

Help put Levi’s dreams back on track by signing the petition to Let Levi Ride. Petitions will be sent directly to Christian Prudhomme, Director of the ASO, as well as to VS, the official US media partner of the Tour de France.