NBC offering live coverage of men’s, women’s World Cup races in Aspen, Beaver Creek

Lindsey Vonn (U.S. Ski Team)

Ready for some ski racing LIVE on TV?

It doesn’t happen very often, but you’ll have a chance to see live coverage of men’s and women’s World Cup races on NBC for consecutive weeks this season.

Coverage starts Thanksgiving weekend in Colorado at the Nature Valley Aspen Winternational, featuring the likes of Olympic champs Lindsey Vonn and Julia Mancuso. The action swings the next weekend to the men’s circuit with coverage of the Audi Birds of Prey World Cup in Beaver Creek, where Olympic gold medalists Ted Ligety and Bode Miller will compete.

Read the story by Real Vail to learn who’s covering the races and when to look for them.

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ESPN drops longstanding Skier X, Snowboarder X races for upcoming Winter X Games in Aspen

Skier X always delivers a crowded, mad dash to the bottom.

We don’t know about you, but we’re disappointed that Skier X and Snowboarder X have been dropped as events for the upcoming Winter X Games.

For one thing, the event has ALWAYS been a part of the X Games (well, Skier X started in year two). And the go-for-broke race down an icy, twisting course, crowded by jostling riders sort of defined the X Games spirit. Plus, it’s STILL an Olympics sport.

But that didn’t keep ESPN from deciding to drop the event for the upcoming Winter X in Aspen (Jan. 24-27). And even they admitted they didn’t have a great reason for the move. Past medalists in the event, such as Aspen’s Casey Puckett, are understandably disappointed. Here’s what Casey had to say to the Aspen Daily News.

Read the story to learn more. And happily, they didn’t rule out the event’s return.

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Can you beat Lindsey Vonn? Here’s your chance

The folks behind the popular Epic Mix social media ski/snowboard program have added an intriguing twist for this season: You can race against World Cup Champion Lindsey Vonn.

Well, to be more precise, you can race against Lindsey’s time. But you COULD meet her at season’s end (more on that in a minute).

Here’s how it works: EpicMix members (sign up here) can race courses at Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado, as well as Heavenly and Northstar in California. Their times are then compared to Lindsey’s.

In addition to winning medals,  the top racers in the Lindsey Vonn Race Series will be invited to an event in April, hosted by Vonn, on Birds of Prey World Cup Course at Beaver Creek.

Here’s what Lindsey had to say about the program to the Denver Post. Get all the details on the Vail Resorts web site.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

Christian Vandevelde uses time trial to become winner of the second USA Pro Challenge

That youth movement will just have to wait. Christian Vandevelde finished second overall in Sunday’s time trial to claim the second USA Pro Challenge, beating young gun Tejay Vangarderen and defending champ Levi Leipheimer.

Even though Vandevelde and Vangarderen had traded the leader’s yellow jersey most of the week, it was Leipheimer who led going into Stage 7 in Denver. But Vandevelde ran a strong second in the stage — Boulder’s Taylor Phinney won the 9.5 mile time trial in a time of  17:25 — to beat Vangarderen by 21 seconds and Leipheimer by 24 seconds.

Read more about the race in The New York Times and The Denver Post. Get complete race standings at the USA Pro Challenge website

STAGE 6: Even though the USA Pro Challenge leader’s jersey already had changed hands four times this week, all the talk about the overall lead focused on young Tejay Van Garderen and veteran Christian Vandevelde.

Defending champion Levi Leipheimer? He might have been just 8 seconds back, but as little as people discussed his chances, he seemed 8 minutes back.

No longer. Leipheimer didn’t win Stage 6, that went to Aussie and Boulder resident Rory Sutherland. But his fifth-place finish was strong enough to catapult him into the lead, 9 seconds ahead of Vandevelde and 21 seconds ahead of Vangarderen.

And with only a time trial — a discipline Leipheimer used to take the lead on the way to victory last year — left in Denver on Sunday, suddenly Leipehmer looks like the man to beat.

Here’s an Overview of Stage 7, a time trial in Denver. Find out where you can watch the race live starting at 2 p.m. MDT (pre-race show at 1:30 p.m.) on the NBC Sports Network or follow online here.

STAGE 5: Make that two stage wins for Tyler Farrar, who won a sprint in Colorado Springs to claim Stage 5 in the USA Pro Challenge.

While the win allowed Farrar to reclaim the Green Jersey for top sprinter, the yellow jersey remained with Tejay Van Garderen , who still shares the same time with  Christian VandeVelde.

Here’s an Overview of Stage 6, from Golden to Boulder. Find out where you can watch the race live starting at 2 p.m. MDT (pre-race show at 1:30 p.m.) on the NBC Sports Network or follow online here.

STAGE 4: Jens Voigt knew how hard the first three days of the USA Pro Challenge had been. He knew that the favorites might want to keep an eye on each other and take it easy during Stage 4.

So the wily veteran known as the “King of Pain” joined a breakaway to start the day, left them behind to atop Independence Pass, then held on to record a wire-to-wire victory, winning by almost 3 minutes when he reached the finish line in Beaver Creek. (Skiing great Lindsey Vonn presented him with an award.)

Since the 40-year-old Voigt was no threat to the overall lead, standing 11:50 back at the start of the stage, the peleton made little effort to catch him. That didn’t mean the leaders in the peleton — Christian VandeVelde and Tejay Van Garderen — weren’t jockeying for a better position.

Even though the two finished with the same time for the third straight day, Van Garderen took back the yellow jersey on points — just as VandeVelde had taken it from him in Stage 3. Andreas Kloden finished second in the stage, just ahead of Van Garderen.

After the top two, the others in the top 5 still include Ivan Rovny (6  seconds back), followed by defending champ Levi Leipheimer and Ramiro Rincon (both 8 seconds back).

Here’s an Overview of Stage 5, from Breckenridge to Colorado Springs. Find out where you can watch the race live starting at 2 p.m. MDT (pre-race show at 1:30 p.m.) on the NBC Sports Network or follow online here.

Stage 3: Tom Danielson had the ride of his life in Stage 3, joining an early breakaway and staying away from the peleton just long enough to claim a thrilling victory in the USA Pro Challenge.

Danielson was one of the first over Cottonwood Pass and then topped Independence Pass some 1:45 ahead of the peleton, which was impressive enough. But then he withstood the onslaught of the peleton into Aspen, only winning the race by 2 seconds.

The Garmin rider, only 12 seconds back in the Overall Standings at the start of the day, now stands 10 seconds behind race leader Christian VandeVelde, who shares the same time as previous leader Tejay Van Garderen but leads on points.

The top 5, after VandeVelde and Van Garderen, includes Ivan Rovny (6  seconds back), defending champ Levi Leipheimer and Ramiro Rincon (both 8 seconds back), and Danielson is now sixth, 10 seconds back. American Chris Horner is now ninth, 12 seconds back.

Here’s an Overview of Stage 4, from Aspen to Beaver Creek. Find out where you can watch the race live starting at 2 p.m. MDT (pre-race show at 1:30 p.m.) on the NBC Sports Network or follow online here.

STAGE 2: What a comeback! Tejay Van Garderen, seemingly out of contention when the peleton entered Crested Butte, rallied in the final climb to claim Stage 2 of the USA Pro Challenge.

The Boulder-based rider won just ahead of a charging Christian VandeVelde, who also was buried late in the race.  Russian rider Ivan Rovny joined the Americans on the podium by finishing third.

Van Garderen now is the overall leader, in a tie with VandeVelde, followed by Rovny (6 seconds back) and defending champ Levi Leipheimer (8 seconds back). Ramiro Rincon stands fifth (also 8 seconds back), while Americans Chris Horner (8th) and Tom Danielson are both just 12 seconds back.

Here’s an Overview of Stage 3, from Gunnison to Aspen. The Queen Stage of this race includes a pair of epic climbs of Cottonwood Pass and then Independence Pass. Find out where you can watch the race live starting at 2 p.m. MDT (pre-race show at 1:30 p.m.) on the NBC Sports Network or follow online here.

STAGE 1: Tyler Farrar is the man to beat after the first stage of the USA Pro Challenge. The American took advantage of a lead-out by Rory Sutherland, whose own sprinter was not in position to challenge, to spring into a lead he never lost and win the 125-mile stage that finished in Telluride.

A large pack of contenders finished with the same time, including efending champion Levi Leipheimer, Fred Rodriguez, Chris Horner, Tejay Van Garderen, Jens Voigt, George Hincapie, Andreas Kloden and Tom Danielson.

The pace was too much for some other elite riders, though. Vincenzo Nibali, third-place finisher at the Tour de France, was in a group that finished 1:46 back. Cadel Evans, Ivan Basso and American Taylor Phinney were  much farther back, trailing in 12:45 after the leaders.

Hear what the winners had to say in this Denver Post story.

The USA Pro Challenge continues through Sunday, Aug. 26.  Levi Leipheimer is the defending champion in the race, which also includes six of the top 13 finishers from this year’s Tour de France: Vincenzo Nibali (3rd), Tejay Van Garderen (5th), Evans (7th), Janez Brajkovic (9th), Andreas Kloden (11th) and Chris Horner (13).  Taylor Phinney, who finished fourth in the road race and time trial at the Olympics, also will compete.

Top teams participating include BMC, Radio Shack, Garmin and Astana. See all the teams on the race’s official website here.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

Vote in our poll to predict who will win the second USA Pro Challenge bike race in Colorado

UPDATE: Get updates for each stage and final results right here.

World’s best cyclists rave about USA Pro Challenge, starting Aug. 20 in Colorado

Cadel Evans

UPDATE: Get updates for each stage and final results right here.

The USA Pro Challenge starts today (Aug. 20) in Durango, with Stage 1 finishing 125 miles later in Telluride. Here’s an overview of the stage, which you can watch starting at 2 p.m. MDT (pre-race show at 1:30 p.m.) on the NBC Sports Network or follow online here.

AUG. 17: On second thought, Andy Schleck will NOT race in the USA Pro Challenge as he continues to recover from a fractured pelvis. Learn more.

AUG. 15: It may only be in its second year, but the USA Pro Challenge has a great reputation among the world’s best riders.

At least that was the consensus of a story in the Denver Post, which quoted the likes of 2011 Tour de France champion Cadel Evans, veteran Jens Voigt and American Christian Vandevelde praising the race.

Of course, everything can’t be perfect. Hear what Vandevelde has to say about one big change in this year’s race, which begins with Stage 1 in Durango on Monday (Aug. 20) and finishes with a time trial on Aug. 26 in Denver. See the entire route.

Levi Leipheimer will defend his title in the race that also will feature the return to racing by Andy Schleck, who has been out since an April injury.  The race also will include six of the top 13 finishers from this year’s Tour de France: Vincenzo Nibali (3rd), Tejay Van Garderen (5th), Evans (7th), Janez Brajkovic (9th), Andreas Kloden (11th) and Chris Horner (13).  Taylor Phinney, who finished fourth in the road race and time trial at the Olympics, also will compete

Top teams participating include BMC, Radio Shack, Garmin and Astana. See all the teams on the race’s official website here to learn what other top riders will compete.

Race organizers, aiming to correct a big gap in last year’s TV coverage when viewers were left in the dark, have created a plan to ensure coverage of the thrilling downhill on Independence Pass into Aspen. Read how.  In addition to being streamed live online, the race will be aired on the NBC Sports Network Monday-Friday, then on NBC Saturday and Sunday. Find listings here.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

Pierre Lug Gagnon rules skate vert, Zack Warden tops BMX Mega 2.0 at Dew Tour’s Pantech Beach Championship in Ocean City

UPDATE:French -Canadian star Pierre Luc-Gagnon was the winner of a hotly-contested skate vert on Saturday at the Pantech Beach Championships. Meanwhile, Zack Warden topped the field to win the BMX Mega 2.0 Competition. Get more results from Saturday and tons of photos at Alli Sports.

PREVIOUSLY: Defending champ Chris Miller won the Skate Bowl Legends Contest on opening day. (More) Here’s where to find results for all Day 1 events at the Pantech Beach Championships, including the Surf Final and BMX Vert. Here’s the schedule for Friday.

The Dew Tour invades Ocean City, Md., Thursday through Sunday (Aug. 16-20). Admission is free (unless you want to buy a VIP pass) and there’s a great lineup of athletes. Looking for more?

• The Baltimore Sun just created a Dew Tour Guide with tips about getting the most out of the experience.
• Want to watch on TV? Here’s the schedule.
• Here’s how to watch the live stream.
• Check out the weekend schedule and find results.

The Dew Tour music lineup:

• Aug. 17: Rapper/producer Lupe Fiasco
• Aug. 18: The afternoon line-up features alt rock bands Rites of Ash, The Perfects and Vital. The evening will turn toward electronic dance music with Wolfgang Gartner, preceded by openers DallasK and Two Fresh.
• Find the complete schedule of music performances here.

As always, the biggest names have been invited to compete in events that include Skate Vert, BMX Vert, Skate Bowl, BMX Park and Surf. New events are Skate Legends Bowl, BMX Mega 2.0, and Skate Mega 2.0.

More than 50 competitors are expected for skating including hometown favorite, Bucky Lasek, along with Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Pedro Barros and Bob Burnquist. For BMX, competitors include Brett Banasiewicz, Scotty Cranmer, Jamie Bestwick, Steve McCann and Kevin Robinson. The Skate Legends Bowl will feature some of the pioneers of the skateboarding industry, including Steve Alba, Steve Caballero, Eddie Elguera, Jeff Grosso, Christian Hosoi, Tony Magnusson, Chris Miller, Lance Mountain, Pat Ngho and Duane Peters.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter for updates on the Tour and more adventures.

It’s time to talk about 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia

So now that the London Summer Olympics are over, no better time to talk about the Sochi Winter Olympics, right?

That’s what Time Magazine thought, so they tracked down Dmitry Chernyshenko, president and chief executive of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, who was in London to observe the recent Games.

Among some of his comments:

• “The Olympic Games are …the greatest catalyst to accelerate positive change and development.”
• “We now have more than 55,000 workers working 24/7.”
• “Some of the venues will be dismantled (after the Games) and then moved to other regions of Russia. Others will be converted for different purposes.”

Read the entire Q&A.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

Jonathan Vaughters admits doping, calls for stronger anti-doping laws in powerful New York Times column

Jonathan Vaughters

When Jonathan Vaughters talks about doping in bike racing, people listen.

After all, the former professional racing cyclist now manages the Garmin-Sharp team, which has taken an agressive stance against doping, testing its athletes weekly to show they’re clean.

But Vaughters didn’t come to this decision without some personal pain. It turns out he doped at the same time so many other riders doped during the late ’90s. As he put it in a powerful column in The New York Times:

“I chose to dope. I am sorry for that decision, and I deeply regret it. The guilt I felt led me to retire from racing and start a professional cycling team where that choice was taken out of the equation through rigorous testing and a cultural shift that emphasized racing clean above winning.”

Read the column and let us know what you think.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.

Lindsey Vonn talks Sochi Winter Olympics while attending London Summer Olympics

Lindsey Vonn at the Olympics.

Nothing out of place with that statement — until you realize the world’s best woman skier was at the SUMMER Olympics.

Sure enough, Vonn played the fan recently at the London Summer Olympics, meeting athletes and attending events. But Lindsey also took some time to talk about the upcoming World Cup season and the Sochi Winter Olympics in Russia.

See what she had to say.

Swany Gloves is dedicated to bringing you the best of outdoor adventure. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter.