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The November issue is on newstands now, with features on Tyler Farrar, Lance Armstrong's entourage, phenom Coryn Rivera and more
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We all saw how well American Tyler Farrar performed at this year’s Tour de France, where he placed in the top-five of field sprints an astonishing five times. Sure, like every sprinter, he was overshadowed by Columbia-HTC’s Mark Cavendish. But given that it was Farrar’s first Tour, his consistency was a success in itself.
But when Farrar won the Vattenfall Cyclassics on August 16, and then followed it up with three consecutive stage wins at the Eneco Tour of the Benelux, we knew it was time to write a feature on the 25-year-old gentleman sprinter from Wenatchee, Washington.
By the time Farrar won a stage of the Vuelta, it was just icing on the cake. Managing editor Neal Rogers had already written a working draft of the cover story, and we had several cover images mocked up. In the end we went with a race shot, of Farrar winning the opening stage of the Eneco Tour.
It’s not the first time Rogers has written a cover profile about Farrar. In February of 2005 both Farrar and Gord Fraser flew to Boulder for a photo shoot that would grace the cover of our domestic season preview. At the time the two speedsters rode for Health Net-Maxxis, the top team in the U.S. And while Fraser flew from his home in Tucson, Farrar flew in while in the midst of the Valley of the Sun stage race in Phoenix.
Fortunately, Farrar was up for an adventure, and agreed to fly out from Phoenix after his Saturday-afternoon road race, fly in to Denver at 9 p.m., drive to Boulder for a 10 p.m. photo shoot, and catch a few hours of sleep before flying back in the morning for the stage race’s final-day criterium, which he won, a bike length ahead of Italian sprinter Roberto Gaggioli, to finish fourth overall.
Today, four years later, Farrar cites Fraser as his biggest mentor, and their time together as one of a few pivotal times in his life that has led him to his current status in the sport. Read about that period, as well as Farrar’s time with Cofidis, and how he dealt with the tragic accident last year that left his father paralyzed, in the November issue, on newsstands now.
Also inside the issue is an exclusive look inside Lance Armstrong’s entourage, guided by the man himself. It’s no secret that Armstrong often refers to himself using the plural pronoun “we,” and is often surrounded by various agents, managers and handlers. But just who these various characters are — who makes up the “we” — and what role they serve, has been a bit of a mystery, until now. Editor in chief Ben Delaney caught up with Armstrong at the Tour of Ireland last month to get the rundown. To illustrate the story we used private photos taken by Armstrong’s personal photographer, Liz Kreutz, the woman behind the upcoming collection of shots from the 2009 season, titled “Comeback 2.0.”
Inside the Tech and Training section is a report, written by test editor Matt Pacocha, examining the BB30 bottom bracket. Proponents claim the design to be stiffer, lighter, and narrower than standard systems. But is it? We went into the lab to put the claims to the test. The results may surprise you.
Another feature, assembled by tech editor Zack Vestal, details the essential tools needed for your home shop. We can’t all have every tool kept on hand at the local shop, but these will keep you rolling smoothly under almost any circumstance. In addition, our tech crew drew up a “what we’re wrenching” section, detailing five professional options to really up your mechanical game.
The back-of-the-book departments include features on 17-year-old Coryn Rivera, the world mountain bike championships, and the question of prestige surrounding the world road championships when they are held in late September, absent of so many Tour contenders.
Sandwiched in the middle of the issue is the Official Guide to the 2009 U.S. Gran Prix of Cyclocross, produced by VeloNews. Included are features on the venues and the riders to watch, as well as VN editors’ choices on production cyclocross bikes for every budget, ’cross shoes and pedals, and what’s needed in every ’crossers race bag.
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