So what are we riding for the 2009 L'Etape du Tour???

This next section may not be as interesting to the non-riders out there, but for those who do ride - I hope to make you envious. The four old guys have been fitted with what Bob Baird has declared as the greatest bike in the world ... the Cannondale Super Six.


We've had only a few hours to ride on these bikes before the big event on Monday, but I can say in that short time that these bikes are tremendous. This is very similar to the equipment that is being used by Team Liquigas in the actual Tour de France - Cannondale's most recently launched and premium line. We have learned that the weight of these bikes is so low (12 pounds), that is below the standards set by the UCI, so Team Liquigas has to insert extra weight below their seat post to make them legal (the good news is that they did not have to add the weight on our bikes!)

I am clearly not a pro, but I find the bike incredibly responsive - a pleasure to climb on, fast to accelerate out of turns and very comfortable in overall geometry. We did put the bikes through a bit of a test today with our off road adventure - and they performed without a hitch.


Although most of us brought our own saddles from home, the fizik saddle that came on the bike is so comfortable, that most of us are not changing our saddles.


In addition, the SRAM Red gruppo that came on the bikes is clean in transition - once you get used to the small differences in shifting from that of the Shimano gruppo that most of us have at home.



So in summary - these are killer bikes. If we don't make it up Ventoux on Monday, we cannot blame the bike, it would be about the engine. And even some of our engines will be getting a little extra boost by riding on such exceptional gear. But regardless whether we make it or not, we will look outstanding with a beautiful Sugoi team kit that matches perfectly with these beautiful machines. Thanks Team Cannondale!