Despite the upcoming circus that is the [tag]Tour de France[/tag], a calm and relaxed [tag]Dave Zabriskie[/tag] took time out from his home in Spain to chat with us. Now ladies and gentlemen, we here at MS Studios are not trained professionals, so think of this more as a conversation than an interview.

Fortunately for you, quality journalism can in fact be found at: www.davezabriskie.missingsaddle.com, so be sure to visit often during the tour as one never knows just what kind of updates will be there.

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And do be sure to visit Dave’s Audioblog site for (near) daily Tour updates: www.davezabriskie.com. Better yet, just bookmark it.

See more Dave videos at this year’s [tag]Amgen Tour of California[/tag] and the [tag]Ford Tour de Georgia[/tag].

June, 24, 2006, Los Angeles, CA - Professional cyclist [tag]Dave Zabriskie[/tag] of [tag]team CSC[/tag] has joined the ranks of Missingsaddle.com. Dave brings fresh insight into the world of professional cycling and will use his experience both as a racer, and as a journalist to transport the reader right into his very own chamois, letting them feel just what it’s really like to streak across the roads of France come July.

With impressive wins in the Dauphine prologue and TT just a few weeks ago, we can only hope for more of the same, and you the listener will be first to know at www.davezabriskie.missingsaddle.com. Unless you have OLN of course or live in a country with real TV coverage.
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MP3 Format Now Fixed - For those of you who experienced a sudden end to the interview at minute 22, the complete version is now posted.

Sure the [tag]cyclo-cross[/tag] season is months away, but we wanted to check in with the reigning world champion and see what he’s been up to. There are few riders in the peloton as nice and humble as Erwin is and it’s always nice to see him doing well.

Our panel of experts included [tag]Geoff Proctor[/tag] from Helena, Montana. Geoff is a familiar face on the cyclo-cross scene for many years both as a competitor and as the Technical Director for the U.S. Grand Prix of Cyclo-Cross.

On the tech side of things, we’re still working out a few minor issues at Missing Saddle studios - aka my bedroom - forgive me for the sound levels and heavy breathing into the mic.

Listen to the [tag]Erwin Vervecken[/tag] interview in the following formats:
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Fixed! - Listen in mp3 format

Tomorrow is Philly!
I suppose it’s not hard to imagine that since winning in 2002, no race excites and motivates me more than Philly. It’s in one of my favorite cities, the crowds are big, loud and drunk, it’s 156 miles in six hours and ten times up the Manyunk Wall. What’s not to love?

The lead up to Philly has been good. The Navigators Team has proven itself to be the strongest team overall, with the most depth, despite coming up short at the end of the previous races. We’ve placed at least two guys in the top ten in Lancaster and Reading. The team is racing very aggressively and for the last month, the other teams have been forced to chase us all day.

It’s no secret that Sergei Lagutin is absolutely flying. I know that all the other teams see him as “the man” and he will be watched closely. However, by the end of such a long race there may be nothing the competition can do to stop him.

Since coming back from Europe, Mirek Mazur has been coaching me again. He knows how to push riders to their limits and he has pushed me. After lots and lots of tempo efforts in the 53*12, I feel great. I’m riding stronger than ever, since 2002 and I’m also lighter than I’ve been since then. I’ve been in all the major breakaways in all the races for the last month, which gives me more confidence than ever, going into Philly.

In between the last several races, I’ve been relaxing with my friend Chris at his house in PA, sleeping-in and going for easy rides. I drove down to Philly last night to do my usual “day before Philly” routine. That’s: Get up, have breakfast, then go for a ride with my Navigators team mates. On the ride, we peddle through Manyunk and out along the bike path. On the way back I do a couple of tempo efforts to stretch my legs out, before stopping in Manyunk for lunch and a coffee. I like to relax there for awhile and hang out with friends.

Today I had the company of my friend Matt, from Peterborough and his brother Brian, as well as Soren, from our sponsor, Trialtir. The afternoon/evening routine is to get a massage, go for the team dinner, have the team meeting and somewhere in between all that, write something for missingsaddle.com and call my wife for the love and encouragement she provides.

Having accomplished all that, I’m ready for bed and ready to rock tomorrow. Thanks in advance to all the screaming fans… especially my friends from Peterborough and Northeast PA who drove all the way down to see me.

-Mark Walters, Team Navigators

T-bird — One of the best bloggers in the Pro ranks.
You can ride along with [tag]Burke Swindlehurst[/tag] of [tag]Team Navigators[/tag] at his new siteT-birds Roost, hosted by us!

Also for your viewing pleasure, we caught with T-Bird @ the TOG earlier this year:Burke Speaks - in Quicktime format

[tag]Dominique Perras[/tag] from the [tag]Kodak Gallery / Sierra Nevada Team[/tag] has stepped up to the plate with his own blog and will be testing new grounds by leaving audio posts to his site as well as regular text updates.

Check out the latest on Dominique

We chatted with The Dom at the [tag]Tour Of California[/tag], and discussed racing, life, and his thoughts of the political situation in Canada.
Watch the Video - Quicktime
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