Bianchi has also been featured in print with the Sempre taking a full page in Bicycling’s 2012 Buyer’s Guide and the Oltre taking a half-page in Road Bike Action’s 2012 Bike Buyer’s Guide.  Make sure you have copies of each of these dog-eared for your customers to peruse…

For your convenience we’ve highlighted the best parts of the Sempre review and the Oltre review on our News and Reviews blog, along with other recent reviews.

We also had another favorable mention of the 2012 Pista Via Condotti yesterday on lifestyle site Complex.com.  Watch for their future reviews on the Infinito Ultegra Di2 and Pista Classica.

We’re making a bigger commitment to print advertising in 2012!  Full page ads have already appeared in the Bicycling and Road Bike Action issues shown above.  Watch for more full page ads in these magazines plus Peloton andVelonews.

All the marketing material is out there – it’s up to your shop to harness its power!  Our Facebook fan page and Twitter feed make it super easy for you to share the latest Bianchi news with your customers.  Don’t forget to visit our Flickr page and encourage your customers to share pics of their own Bianchis!

Our website has been updated to feature more racing news, product reviews, YouTube videos, and technical information.  Each of these is a resource to help your shop create excitement for the oldest bike brand in the world!  Please don’t hesitate to use them to your advantage.

Here’s to a great 2012!

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I would like to make you aware of my nonprofit, The Dare To Be Project.  The website is www.thedaretobeproject.org.  I am jumping into the deep end!  I am live now, and I will work toward the 501c3 status over the next 8-12 months.

The idea is to do what I can and start where I am.  In time, with more resources, I hope to be able to reach out to homeless shelters in other locations, especially those where I have ties because of my bike racing.

Please help me get the word out!  www.thedaretobeproject.org   Also, please consider making a small or large donation to help with the current project.

Briefly:

According to statistics prepared by the Orange County Department of Education McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act, the 2008-2009 numbers of children and youth considered homeless totaled22,025.

I cannot help all of them, but I am trying to reach and impact a small number.  I believe that even one life changed is worth my efforts.  However, my goal is to impact and change more than that!

Why a bike?

A bike can provide freedom as a mode of transportation to school or work.   A bike promotes a healthy lifestyle and encourages these kids to go outside.  The gift of a bike can also provide a glimpse of hope!  I want the gift and the message with the gift to be the motivation and encouragement needed for each child and youth to dream and “to dare to be a doctor, a teacher, a mechanic, the President…whoever it is, they dream and dare to be.”

Why a new bike?

I want these kids to feel special, to feel like they are valued and important enough to have their very own new bike.  I also want them to feel the need to be responsible to take care of it.

Thanks so much for your time!
Best Regards,

Amber Neben

My crazy travel finishes tomorrow, about 24hrs from now, and then I will get some rest.   FYI I flew in from California yesterday, raced today, and I’m flying back home tomorrow.  Add in a TGV roundtrip CDG-Angers, a car ride to and from Angers, and I am my own version of planes, trains, automobiles, and a bike race.  Good thing I have some time to recover.

http://velonews.competitor.com/2011/10/news/tony-martin-amber-neben-win-2011-chrono-des-nations_195572

FYI the top 3 women went 1. Neben 2. Armstrong 3. Zabelinskaia

Best,
Amber

Hello Everyone,

My last trip of the year started off with the Plouay World Cup in Plouay, France at the end of August.  It was a successful day for the team with Evie finishing second.  I was happy to see her counter my attack and get away for a great finish for her and the team.   After Plouay, I spent a week in Limoux, France with my teammate Amanda Miller.  We enjoyed the quiet week to train and to get ready for the next block of racing, 3 races over 8 straight days.

The block started with a one day TT in Italy, the Davide Fardelli Memorial.  I raced well in the rain and finished 3^rd to Judith Arndt and Emma Pooley.  After the race, we drove 750km to the Ardeche region of France.  The travel was necessary since the Tour of Ardeche started the next day.  I raced well here, but I had some bad luck on the second road stage that took me out of the GC.  Unfortunately, I had to do a bike change at a very critical moment when the pack was already strung out on a downhill.  By the time the car got to me and I chased back, the GC split was gone.  It worked out ok, though, because Amanda had made the split, and it was a great chance for her to be in the GC leader position on the team.   In addition to Amanda’s success, our Swedish representative, Emilia Fahlin, started a personal (and team winning streak.)  By the end of the 6 day, 7 stage event, we had won 5 stages, the young rider jersey, and team GC.  It was a successful race, and I was happy to be the captain involved.  Once I finished the Ardeche Tour, I was back in the car with my director driving another 500km north to Reims, France for the Chrono Champenois which started the very next day.  There, I had another solid TT.  Actually, it was a really solid race, since I was second to Judith Arndt (soon to be world champion,) and I felt like my form was really coming around perfectly at just the right time.

However, In the midst of all this racing and then through the days up to the World Championships, I was caught up in a little bit of controversy with the selection process for the World’s TT.  The original selection process did not include me for the second TT start position.  However, I believed the USAC selection criteria had not been properly followed, and so I asked for the issue to be readdressed.  It was not a personal thing.  It simply had to do with selection criteria established prior to the season.  Long story short… the decision was reversed.  It was a LOT of extra stress, but it was the right thing to do, and I think the fact the decision was reversed proved this.  It was unfortunate that it impacted my preparation for Worlds, but I did my best to stay completely focused on the ultimate goal, and I was still really close to getting it done.

Next up were the World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.  The World Championships are always the grand finale of the season.  And once again, it was truly an honor for me to represent my country for the 10^th time at World’s.  I never take the opportunity for granted, and it is always my goal to be prepared and dialed to do damage.

This year, I ended up 8^th in the TT.  My goal was the podium, and I know it was realistic considering that I was on the podium with the gold and bronze medalist in two races within the previous 2 weeks.  However, considering the unusual lead in, I was still happy that I was able to remain focused and have a solid ride.  My top ten finish also secured two start spots for the USA at next year’s Olympics.

The Road Race was a strange race for the women.  I expected more teams to be racing for a breakaway, but everyone was really focused on a bunch sprint.  I tried to get things going on the 8^th lap, but nobody wanted to play with me.  I continued to try to animate things for the USA in the last laps, but really, nothing was ever going to go.  Clara made a good attempt, and I tried to get up to her, but the Germans were always super quick to pull me back.  (No trade team plotting here!)  The USA had two plans… ride for a break in the final laps with 3 of us, while the other 3 would be ready for a sprint with Shelley.  There was no breakaway, and there were 3 crashes in the final 3k’s that impacted our chances in the sprint.  Aaaahh bike racing.  So close… yet so far.

I’m back home now.  I am still trying to sleep past 5AM and stay awake past 8, but my body clock will be back to normal soon.   I will send another note about the season overall and what’s coming next year soon.

For now… thanks again for all of your support!

All the best,

Amber

I just wanted to send a brief update regarding the Thuringen-Rundfarht race that just finished on Sunday.  It is one of the “grand tours” and hardest races on the women’s calendar.  This year, it was seven days long with a TTT prologue and 6 stages.  My HTC Highroad team was fantastic all week.  We won the TTT prologue to start.  Then, we won 3 more stages, had two second place stage finishes, and we missed winning the overall by 2 seconds!  I finished 2^nd in GC by 2 seconds.  Ouch.  Bike racing hurts sometimes more than just physically.

The GC battle for the overall race victory was very tight all week.  I picked up the yellow jersey after the TT stage on day 6, but I only had it by 3 seconds.  The last day was a sprinter type stage with 19 seconds of time bonuses up for grabs.  We were facing a tough challenge since the second place rider, Emma Johannson, was both one of the 3 or 4 best sprinters and all around riders in the world.  I am not exactly known for my sprinting prowess, but my team did our best to try to defend and then to go on the offensive.  We raced hard, but we could not do it.  Emma rode very well, and sometimes you just have to say congrats and well done to a competitor.

I am flying to Sweden today.  We race a TTT (Team Time Trial) World Cup on Friday and then a regular one day road race World Cup on Sunday.  I will be practicing with my team from Tues to Thurs, and we will be ready to race on Friday.  I am excited and motivated, and I know my teammates who are also doing this TTT feel the same.

I’ll drop a note after the races this weekend.

Thanks for all of your support!!

Best,

Amber