With the return of Lance Armstrong to the peloton and the Tour de France in 2009, the numbers of fans, the amount of spectators, the rows of media and the sizes of camera lenses around the Team area have increased drastically. It is just surreal.

To get a glimpse of Lance Armstrong and his teammates, you’d better be patient or carry around your favorite step ladders…

Lance Armstrong makes his way to the Astana Team bus

SRAM road components made their Tour de France debut in 2007 with what was then the top of the line groupset, SRAM Force. Having provided us with great results and feedback on Professional racing conditions, SRAM Force gave way to SRAM RED as the ultimate racing groupset. For 2009, SRAM Force is back on the Tour with a brand new look and features. As Agritubel rider Maxime Bouet proved in stage 3 of this year’s Tour, SRAM Force is not short of racing attributes.

So don’t miss out, look out …

Maillot Jaune Contador Says “On the Ventoux I Will Try to Help My Teammates”

Post-race, SRAM Red equipped Alberto Contador said of Stage 18 “Today has been a difficult, very fast and dangerous stage at the end, because the rain. I didn’t want to taking any risks”, he said with the penultimate stage that finishes atop Mont Ventoux tomorrow. “The basic aim is to defend the Maillot Jaune until Paris, sure the Schleck brothers will attack tomorrow, but for me it is enough to defend my gc position so I will ride conservatively”, …

I have said it many times that the fan at home watching on TV knows way more about a major bike race like the Tour de France than the folks actually at the race. Onsite its hard to get info, you are usually operating between two different points (start - finish) and its usually impossible to get to both, the languages are often challenging (the papers arent in English). Its great to be there, you go for the atmosphere and the incredible spectacle, but you …

Can Kloden come back?

Lance wants on the podium…

Can Frank come back to the top five?

It’s Contador’s race to lose, with a 4’11second lead on Andy Schleck

Four out of top five riders on GC riding SRAM RED Equipped and/or five out of top six!

Maillot Jaune Alberto Contador of SRAM RED equipped Team Astana dominated Thursday’s Stage 18 40.5km ITT around Lac d’Annecy with a spectacular win ahead of Olympic TT champion Fabian Cancellara of SRAM RED equipped Saxo Bank and increased his lead in the 2009 Tour De France over second place Andy Schleck of Saxo Bank, while Astana’s Lance Armstrong moved back into podium contention …

Contador checking out his new TT bike with the ‘Leap’ frog sticker already onboard (see arrow).

While absorbing every moment of the final minutes of today’s epic time trial on the 30-something inch tv screen here in Chicago at SRAM’s HQ, I noticed that the French cameraman shot a quick close-up of the white frog graphic on Alberto Contador’s top tube while he was racing, for us at SRAM it was awesome. What was that frog you ask?

That frog, known …

Schleck, Contador, Schleck - a perfect SRAM RED 1 -2 - 3

Top Five Riders On GC Now SRAM RED equipped.

Although his brother Fränk jumped from 5th to 3rd today in Le Grand-Bornand, Best Young Rider Andy Schleck said post-stage “That isn’t so important…I’m so happy Frank won the stage. We don’t have so many chances on this Tour so we have to take what we can.” In a shout-out to their injured Saxo Bank teammate Jens Voigt, in a hospital in Grenoble after his nasty crash yesterday, …

SRAM riders Alberto Contador (Astana) and Frank Schleck (Saxo Bank) are one-two at this year’s Tour after stage 17

SRAM RED dominated today’s stage 17 in taking 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th…the world’s lightest and most ergonomic componentry now holds the top five spots in the overall. With four challenging stages left, including tomorrow’s 40.5 km time trial, SRAM teams and athletes will look to remian in control.

2009 Tour de France overall - after stage 17
1 Alberto Contador Velasco (Spa) Astana - SRAM RED …