This October, German based Continental Tire will begin offering the TopContact touring tire. Hand-crafted in Germany, the TopContact will feature cutting edge polymers and Vectran for puncture protection. Vectran is a high strength fiber with vibration damping characteristics that is used in sporting goods, ropes / cables, and military applications. The tire will be available both as the TopContact, and TopContact-Winter which will feature a tread with sharp-edge granules to increase grip.

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Posted by David at 3:01 PM | Permalink

Lately we’ve seen major electronic retailers take their goods straight to the people – Apple scored a killer spot on NYC’s Fifth Avenue, and Samsung one in the new Time Warner Center. This fall, Garmin is going to do the same when they open their first retail location in downtown Chicago’s - 669 North Michigan Avenue. This makes Garmin the first GPS manufacturer to open a retail location, which we don’t find all that surprising when you consider how much of the market they control. It sounds like the store is going to be hands-on, with product demonstrations, and interactive kiosks – something we’re big on since much of Garmin’s line can be hard to find in retail settings. Visitors can also expect training-seminars, and product support. Now lets hope this idea makes it to some other major cities – NYC Garmin, hint, hint.

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Posted by David at 2:03 PM | Permalink

Floyd Landis is going to be a guest on CNN's Larry King Live tonight - cycling fans may find it interesting since this will be his first extended interview on live TV. While we're not holding our breath for any revelations on the show it will be a good opportunity for Landis to present his case in a slightly less chaotic public forum. If you feel like participating, the show is allowing viewers to submit questions for Landis here. The show will air at 9PM (21:00) Eastern.

Posted by David at 4:07 PM | Permalink

Floyd Landis held a press conference today in Spain to address the high-testosterone levels found in a test following Tour de France stage 17. The conference stated out chaotically with media surrounding the speakers table for photo ops. In the conference Floyd said there are a number of factors that could contribute to the elevated levels of testosterone, and he completely denies engaging in doping activities. Landis said that he will request his B-sample be tested within the next day, and will release the results of the test as soon as they become available. In the meantime Landis asked that his case not be treated as a doping case, and that he not be judged until the final test results have been announced. He also said that he will undergo all tests required by the UCI to determine if the test numbers are natural or not. He concluded by saying that his victory was due to nothing but hard work.

Posted by David at 12:13 PM | Permalink

Phonak announced today that Floyd Landis has tested positive for high levels of testosterone, following his amazing ride on stage 17 of the ’06 Tour de France. The team said it was notified by the UCI of the test results on Wednesday. Landis has been placed on suspension pending the results of the B-test which if positive will lead to Floyd’s dismissal from Phonak. UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani said the cycling body doesn't require analysis of the "B" sample, and stated "We are confident in the first test", “for us, the first one is already good." Landis of course is requesting the B-sample be tested. If the second test comes back positive, the next step will be to determine if the high levels of testosterone found in the sample are synthetic or naturally occurring since testosterone is a naturally occurs substance.

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Posted by David at 3:15 PM | Permalink