Friday, February 12, 2010

UCI races in Cluj

If you've searched lately on my blog or on the UCI calendar, you have seen that this year will be more UCI races. I am happy that in my town, Cluj, we'll have two of them: a XCO Race and a Marathon, both organized with the Maros Sport Club (and team of course).

So the first race will be the XCO, on the 25th of April, which will be the first stage in the Romanian Grand Prix and an UCI class 2 race.


The course from the Maros XCO Cup will have around 6km. Some section are well known from the XC races from the past (Napoca Cup 2002, 2003 and 2004) but most of the course is new, beeing a more difficult and technical course.

And after that in autumn we will have another event the MAROS MTB MARATHON, being at the third edition, this year also as a UCI Class 3 Race and in the Romanian XCM Grand Prix.

So as a Club and a Team we can be proud that we take part in organizing two major races in Romania, for all kind of riders. I will come back with articles on this theme and I will update you when I'll have the information such as: photos from the courses, videos, etc.

Take care and see you soon,
Vlad

Thursday, February 4, 2010

UCI races in Romania for 2010

I've found out lately, I admit, with the smile on my face that this year we'll have seven, yes 7, UCI Races in Romania. We didn't had so many UCI races in all our previous history. So this is a good thing. These races and some other (if I know well) will matter for the Romanian Grand Prix, something like the World Cup Series. So we will have our own smaller World Cup.

So I am looking forward for these races and I hope that everything will go well. Bellow you have the races dates:

Monday, February 1, 2010

SRAM announce new XG999 cassette


XX technology coming to 9-speed drivetrains

SRAM has brought the XX group's innovative X-Dome cassette down to the 9-speed level with the introduction of a new XG999 cassette, set for release in mid-March.



Like the XX cassette, all but the innermost and outermost cogs on the XG999 model will be milled into a lightweight, do

me-like shape from a single chunk of chromoly steel with additional ports machined in between the cogs to allow mud and debris to pass through. Sealing the large end of the 'dome' is a replaceable press-fit aluminum cog while the smallest cog will be a steel bit as usual.

Not surprisingly, the XG999 cassette will be very light with a claimed weight of just 175g for an 11-32T size – cleaving a full 100g from SRAM's own PG-990 cassette and about 50g from a comparable Shimano XTR unit while also promising better durability, too, on account of the harder steel cog material.

Prospective buyers should note that SRAM initially won't offer the XG999 in the more versatile 11-34T size and pricing is set at a spendy US$300 – nearly three times higher than the PG-990.

Perhaps more interesting than the new cassette announcement is what this likely means for SRAM's road groups, in particular the current Red flagship. Red's PowerDome cassette – the forebear of X-Dome – was a radical departure from conventional cassette construction but also criticized for its greater-than-average noise levels and susceptibility to clogging with mud in 'cross applications.

With the introduction of this new XG999, it's now practically a foregone conclusion that we'll see similar changes to the PowerDome cassette and even SRAM's own road US road PR and media manager Michael Zellman tacitly acknowledges as such.

"Our best technologies consistently find their way across our product platforms," he said. "This includes road to MTB, and vice-versa."


Article found on CyclingNews.com


Take care guys,

Vlad