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This Weekend: Warehouse Clearance Sale

If you're in the Portland area tomorrow through Sunday, swing by BicyclingHub.com HQ for your chance to save big in our Warehouse Clearance event!

With discounts of up to 75% off select jerseys, shorts, jackets and more by Castelli, Primal Wear, Sugoi, Canari, Pearl Izumi and other great brands, you won't want to miss out on this awesome chance to save big on your favorites.

Warehouse Clearance Hours:

Friday, July 26: 10am–6pm

Saturday, July 27: 10am–5pm

Sunday, July 28: 10am–1pm

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Any questions? Feel free to give us a call toll-free at (888) 817-8060

A Look Back at our Tour de France Predictions

Back in June, a full 20-some days before the Tour de France even started, we gave you our list of riders to watch in this year's 100th edition. Now, a day after the end of the race we take a look at our predictions to see how we did.

Who We Had:

Peter Sagan, photo via Cannondale Pro Cycling

Vincenzo Nibali

We were way off. Nibali heard we were calling him a favorite and then he decided to skip the event altogether.

Peter Sagan

It's hard to call the green jersey a failure—but we admittedly expected Sagan to win more stages than he did. Last year he won three, this year just the one. Even so, he held onto the green jersey with a remarkable lead.

Chris Froome, photo via Team Sky

Chris Froome

It was pretty easy to be right about Froome. He was a big favorite after his performance last year and, as we all saw, he did not disappoint. Even so we pat ourselves on the back for our accuracy in this prediction.

Alberto Contador

In all honesty, we sort of figured the Tour would be between Contador and Froome, but Contador wasn't even on the podium. He was a strong contender in many of the stages, but he faded badly in the last week. After three times standing on the top step—though one was wiped from his record for the whole "Spanish Beef" thing—the Spaniard probably pretty disappointed with the outcome.

Tejay van Garderen

Aside from Nibali, van Garderen was probably our least successful pick. He crashed early in the race and ended up finishing 45th—and he narrowly missed winning the Alpe d'Huez stage (though he did get Team BMC's first top three finish). We expected much, much more from the American, what with his fifth overall placing in last year's Tour and his win at the Tour of California this year.

Ryder Hesjedal

Hesjedal went down in a crash in the race's first stage and was dogged won the rest of the Tour with a broken rib. An overall finish of 70th, it wasn't the performance we expected to see from the Garmin-Sharp rider.

Mark Cavendish at the Giro d'Italia

Mark Cavendish

Looks like Cav finally found his rival. Two stage wins isn't what we'd call a failure, but with an overall finish of 148th and four stages lost to Marcel Kittel, we can admit the Brit wasn't as remarkable as we thought he'd be.

Cadel Evans

Evans seems to be going the wrong way. He won yellow in 2011, was 7th last year and came in a dismal 39th this year after a tough, exhausting race. He's credited his poor performance at the Tour to his last-minute enter in the Giro d'Italia, where he was 3rd, but perhaps it's time for the Australian to find a different focus?

Andy Schleck

We have to admit, 20th place is a disappointment for a man who, by default, took first in 2010. A broken pelvis takes time to heal, apparently.

Who We Missed:

Nairo Quintana, photo via Movistar 

Nairo Quintana

Not including Quintana in our list was a huge oversight. The Colombian rider for Movistar kicked ass at his Tour de France debut, coming in 2nd overall and scoring both the white and polka dot jerseys. Oh, and he won stage 20, so it's pretty easy to say Quintana is a powerhouse. We look forward to seeing his career develop.

Joaquim Rodríguez

Another big oversight, since Rodríguez, a Spanish climber for Katusha was 3rd overall. We should've known he'd do well, what with his 4th place finish at this year's Tour of Oman, his 2nd place finishes at both the Liège-Bastogne-Liège and the Volta a Catalunya, and last year's 2nd place standing in the Giro d'Italia and points classification win.

Marcel Kittel

We're also kicking ourselves for forgetting Kittel. After dropping out during his Tour de France debut last year due to illness, the 25-year-old German stole the show with four stage wins this year, including the finale.

Sneak Peek: BicyclingHub.com 5.0

As you may've already seen on Facebook and Twitter, we will soon be transitioning to a beautiful new website—or, as we're calling it: BicyclingHub.com 5.0. The design isn't quite done yet, but it's getting close. We're so excited we thought we'd share the latest mockup with you:

We don't have an exact launch date yet, so all we can say is: coming soon. 

What do you think? Are you as excited as we are?

Video: Tour de France Impersonations

It's a rest day, which means we're seeing a variety of interviews with Tour de France cyclists and tweets from teams about how their riders spent the day. But this is what we're watching: an awesome mashup of Tour de France cyclist impersonations.

Looking forward to more TdF action tomorrow with Stage 16.

Watch a Bicycle-Powered Helicopter Take Flight

The Sikorsky Prize—given for projects achieving human-powered flight for at last 60 seconds—has been awarded for the first time in 30 years to Aero Velo, a Canadian startup for their bicycle-powered helicopter, Atlas. Originally funded on Kickstarter, Atlas consists of a single-wheeled modified bicycle attached to a lightweight frame with four blades. Though an incredible innovation, it isn't all that hardy, and test flights often result in broken pieces that must be repaired before the next flight attempt. But they now have $250,000 for their efforts. So that's pretty cool. [Via Business Insider]

Watch the Flying Scotsman Test His Beastie

We all know who Graeme Obree is, right? One of our favorite cycling movies—The Flying Scotsman—is based off of his life. Well his latest speedy creation, his 'Beastie,' is headed to the World Human Powered Speed Challenge in September. He tested it out for the first time in the video above. Looks a little shaky, but hey, we have faith in Obree. 

Infographic: Contador Vs. Froome

Bid on a Cannondale Pro Team Jersey Signed by Peter Sagan to Benefit the American Diabetes Association

Today, July 9, at 10am PDT, we began a 10-day eBay auction of a Cannondale Pro Cycling jersey by Sugoi signed by Peter Sagan—all of the proceeds will benefit the American Diabetes Association.

Place your bids here.

The American Diabetes Association is the nation’s leading 501(C)3 nonprofit charity fighting against diabetes and its deadly consequences. With nearly 26 million children and adults in the United States diagnosed with diabetes and 79 million Americans considered to have prediabetes, the mission of the American Diabetes Association is urgent. Everything the charity does addresses the mission: “to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.”

To do so, the American Diabetes Association funds innovative research to combat and manage diabetes at 125 of the country’s leading research institutions, provides the public and health care professionals with up-to-date information on diabetes, fights to increase federal funding for diabetes research and programs, improve comprehensive insurance coverage and to end discrimination against people with diabetes, and puts on events such as the Tour de Cure, a fundraising cycling event in 44 states across the country designed to inform, empower individuals living with diabetes, as well as friends and family, and raise funds to support the overall mission of the American Diabetes Association.

“The American Diabetes Association is excited to be working with BicyclingHub.com, a long time supporter of Tour de Cure, on this auction,” said Kris Bockmier. “The money raised will us fulfill our mission: to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabates, through diabetes, research, advocacy and education.”

We managed to raise over $1,500 for the Davis Phinney Foundation in an auction last month, and we are excited at the opportunity to raise money for another great organization.

A big thanks to Peter Sagan, Cannondale Pro Cycling and Sugoi for helping us make this happen.

7 Conclusions From the First Week of the Tour de France

As we head into the second week of the Tour de France, we thought we'd take a look back at we learned from the first nine stages.

Photo via BMCRacingTeam.com

Team BMC is stronger on paper

We had high hopes for Team BMC following a great showing from Cadel Evans at the Giro d'Italia and Tejay van Garderen's win at the Tour of California. Thus far in the Tour, however, BMC is not looking so hot. It all started with a less than wonderful performance in the team time trial. Then van Garderen succumbed to the heat in the first mountain climb during Stage 8, and team leader Evans dropped. With a team with so much talent and power—on paper, anyway—it's hard to say why they're underperforming.

ORICA GreenEDGE had a great week

Despite the bus trouble and sprinter Matt Goss' crash during the first stage, ORICA worked it in the first week of the Tour. Simon Gerrans took Stage 3 on the final island day and the team crushed it in stage 4's team time trial in Nice, with a 75 hundredths of a second victory over world champions Omega Pharma-Quick-Step. This is not at all what we expected after their lackluster performance last year, and it's a very pleasant surprise.

Nairo Quintara, Paris-Nice 2013

Nairo Quintana has the white jersey

Going into week two, Colombian cyclist Quintana is in control of the white jersey. An incredible climber, the Movistar team member attacked during the 8th stage, climbing the Col de Pailheres, the highest in the race. At this point, the overall battle for the white jersey looks like it'll be between Quintana and Omega Pharma-Quick-Step cyclist Michal Kwiatkowski.

Chris Froome is strong despite Team Sky's overall weakness

Team Sky isn't looking so hot anymore, what with injury and crashes causing them to fall back in the ranks—and giving Froome a lonely ride at the front of the pack. Froome looked great last week. He avoided crashes, did well in the time trial and matched Quintana's accelerations in the climbs. But he's going to have to work a hell of a lot harder if he wants that final yellow jersey, since, going into week 2, it looks like he might be going it without much help from his team.

Peter Sagan, 2013 Tour of California

Peter Sagan has a tight hold on the green jersey

Will Sagan (Cannondale) take him his second consecutive points classification? Looks like he might. He has a comfortable 93-point lead over Andre Greipol (Lotto Belisol) and Cavendish sits in third. Sagan's lead is likely due to his versatility as a cyclist; he's managed five podiums thus far, including a win in Stage 7.

Alberto Contador not doing as well as expected

It cannot be denied: Contador isn't doing as well as he should be considering his performance just the last year. In September 2012, he took home the red jersey in the Vuelta a España and he's stood on far too many podiums since to be so out of form going into the rest day of the Tour. We definitely expected a stronger performance from the Saxo-Tinkoff rider.

Photo via Flickr user Lori Branham

Corsica is gorgeous

The opening island stages brought into the Tour to celebrate its 100th year were brutal for the riders, but man, were they gorgeous. With two weeks left of the race, perhaps the only thing we really know for sure is that Corsica is beautiful and those first few stages were wonderful to watch.

Rest Day at the Tour

This is what ORICA GreenEDGE is doing during today's rest day:

The race resumes tomorrow with the 10th stage. We're looking forward to it.

7 Ways to Beat the Heat on the Bike This Summer

Photo via Flickr user John Gronberg

The dog days are upon us, but sweltering heat isn't enough to scare us off our bikes. In fact, it only seem to bring us out to pedal more. As temperatures continue to creep up, however, it's important that we take care of ourselves so we can stay safe and have a fantastic time in the process. 

Here are our top 7 tips to beat the summer heat:

Dress appropriately

Just as you wouldn't wear your shorts and thinnest jersey during the height of winter, it's not a good idea to dress too heavily in the peak of summer. Opt for a short-sleeved jersey made of a technical fabric, since cotton and silk will absorb every ounce of moisture your body produces. (Check out our collection of men's and women's cycling jerseys here.) On the bottom, opt for a cycling short or bib made of similar materials, as they'll wick sweat and push moisture out, giving you a much more comfortable, cooler ride. (Shop our collection of men's and women's cycling shorts here.) 

Opt for panniers

Have you ever had a backpack on during a hot day and noticed the relief you feel almost immediately after taking it off? Allow for optimal air flow while you're on a ride and pack anything you need with you in a pannier or a basket. The same goes with your head. Don't skip the helmet, though; instead, invest in one with a lot of ventilation so you can keep your noggin cool without skimping on protection.

Embrace your sweat

Sweat might be a little gnarly to some, but it's the body's natural cooling system and it works really well once you stop trying to avoid it. Drink a lot of water, opt for a deodorant instead of an antiperspirant and choose a light, breathable sunblock.

Freeze your water overnight

Photo via Flickr user John Gronberg

On a hot day, your water will likely cook as you do and we can all agree that a gulp of hot water is less than refreshing. Fill your bottle with plenty of ice or freeze your water overnight for a chilled swig. The only trouble with completely freezing your water is you want to be sure it melts as you need it to, so there's never a moment you reach for a drink and all you have is a block of ice. Experiment with different water to ice ratios to figure out what works best for you.

Pour a little water on your head

Your sweat not doing the trick? Squirt a little water from your bottle though the vents of your helmet and you'll feel immediately refreshed since the water will, hopefully, be cooler than your head and you'll stay cooler as it evaporates. Just be sure you have plenty of water with you, though, since you most certainly don't want any dehydration.

Wrap a wet bandana around your neck

Since the head and neck are basically the body's thermostat, it's important to keep them as cool as possible. A good trick is to wrap a wet or—even better—icy bandana around your neck. It'll provide relief from heat for as long as it takes the water to evaporate. Then, if you need to, you can just soak it in cool water again and start over.

Hydrate

The most important thing you can do for yourself on any ride—especially one in hot conditions—is to stay hydrated. Even if your water is warm and less than fun to drink, be sure to drink it anyway. Your body's core cooling system cannot work without water.

Have any tips of your own to share? Leave it in the comments section below.

ORICA GreenEDGE's Video of Their Bus Getting Stuck is Hilarious

We can all probably agree that the first stage of this year's Tour de France was chaotic (the New York Times has a great write-up here.) What with ORICA GreenEDGE's bus getting stuck at the finish line and the crash that took down several riders, it was certainly on the crazy side. But at least the folks at ORICA GreenEDGE aren't so serious they can't laugh at themselves a little. While this first stage recap video may not be intentionally hilarious, it's certainly funny in concept and received at least a few laughs from us.

Bike Thief Sells Bikes Before Stealing Them

Photo via Flickr user Lorena Cupcake

What is probably the most forward-thinking bike theft investigators have seen has been discovered by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. The thief—who, at this point, still doesn't appear to have been apprehended—lists bikes for auction and ensures he has a buyer before he steals them.

Nine bikes, with a total value of around 2.2 million yen (which is roughly just over $22,000), were stolen from Hiroshi Tamura, editor-in-chief of a Tokyo bicycling magazine. At midnight on June 17, his wife called police after she noticed someone hanging around outside the house. When police arrived, they discovered three bikes had been stolen from the parking area of the house. When Tamura went out the next morning, he found another six had been stolen.

Police discovered that six of Tamura's bikes, four that had been stolen and two that he'd moved into the house, had been listed for auction on June 1. Each of the listings had photos and all six bikes had been sold. 

According to road.cc, the seller has listed other bikes in the past and investigators believe they may have been stolen as well.

[Seen via Bike Portland]