Join us on Thursday for the biggest Tour de France-inspired festival on the West Coast!

For the ninth year running, we’re throwing a massive bike party for everyone! With exciting local racing, a beer garden, vendor booths, prizes, food stands, kids’ activities and the rebroadcasting of the Tour de France’s mountain-top finish — Stage 17 — on an outdoor big screen, this is a summer party not to be missed.

The festival, taking place at a new location this year at the Seward Park Amphitheatre, kicks off at 5 p.m. with the Thursday Night Bike Races. Here’s your chance to watch some exciting live races before we turn our attention to the screen. These roads are hallowed TDF ground! Pro bike racer Tyler Farrar, who is competing for stage wins in the Tour de France this year, competed in these very races before turning professional in 2003.  (In addition to chasing down sprint stage victories, Farrar is also in the slow running for the Lanterne Rouge.) There will be a live announcer and a podium ceremony and prizes for the winners.

As you wait for the sun to set you can browse the booths, relax with a picnic in the grass, buy food at the delicious food trucks, or catch up with friends over a cold beer in the beer garden.

Meanwhile we’ll entertain the kids at the bike art table, where they can decorate their own bike, and at the Wheelie Fun Course, a fun and safe stunt course staffed with our wonderful volunteers.

And did we mention that there will be prizes?

We’ll be selling $3 drawing tickets throughout the evening for a 9 o’clock drawing. Prizes include:

• A Raleigh Revenio 3.0 or a Capri 3.0 road bicycle (value: $1200+)
• One registration for the sold-out Ride from Vancouver (B.C.) to Seattle and Party (RSVP) event (face value $100; market value “priceless”)
• An Ortlieb messenger bag (value: $90)
• A Detours pannier (value: $70)
• And Bern helmets (value: $60)

As the sun goes down, all eyes will be on a giant, inflatable screen as the world’s best men’s cyclists compete for a Tour de France stage win in the mountains. [Read more....]

Did you catch today’s stage of the Tour de France? It was fantastic!

Short story:

Andy Schleck broke away. And the tour leaders let him.

Cadel Evans finally gave chase.

Thomas Voekler rode his heart out to keep the maillot jaune.

Alberto Contador cracked.

Andy hung on to take the stage, but not the jersey, and the bike race is on, people!

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

Tomorrow night at Cyclefest, we’ll be screening Stage 19, the Alpe d’Huez, a special and brutal stage. A little trivia for you… each of the 21 switchbacks on the Alpe d’Huez has a sign listing stage winners over the years. While I’ve never ridden the Alpe, I drove it some years ago, paying homage on the seventh bend to Andy Hampsten, the first American to win the Alpe, claiming victory in 1992 for Team Motorola. Every time the Tour goes up the Alpe, the winner’s name is added to a sign. [Thanks to Pedal Dancer for this list.]

Bend # 21 (1) Fausto Coppi, and (22) Lance Asmstrong (at the bottom)
Bend # 20 (2) Joop Zoetemelk, and (23) Iban Mayo
Bend # 19 (3) Hennie Kuiper, and (24) Lance Armstrong
Bend # 18 (4) Hennie Kuiper, and (25) Frank Schleck
Bend # 17 (5) Joaquin Agostinho, and (26) Carlos Sastre
Bend # 16 (6) Joop Zoetemelk
Bend # 15 (7) Peter Winnen
Bend # 14 (8) Bret Breu
Bend # 13 (9) Peter Winnen
Bend # 12 (10) Luis Herrera
Bend # 11 (11) Bernard Henault
Bend # 10 (12) Federico Echave
Bend # 9 (13) Steven Rooks
Bend # 8 (14) Gert-Jan Theunisse
Bend # 7 (15) Gianni Bugno
Bend # 6 (16) Gianni Bugno
Bend # 5 (17) Andrew Hampsten
Bend # 4 (18) Roberto Conti
Bend # 3 (19) Marco Pantani
Bend # 2 (20) Marco Pantani
Bend # 1 (21) Guiseppe Guerini (at the top)

The 2011 Tour de France ends on Sunday. With the Scheck brothers working double for yellow, Evans bearing down relentlessly (Saturday’s time trial will be big for him), Voekler desperate to keep the miracle alive and all four contenders with in 1’15″ of each other, tomorrow’s stage should be a doozy. Join us!