Stage 1

Distance:

141km

Start location:

Clare

End location:

Tanunda

Stage 2

Distance:

133.5km

Start location:

Gawler

End location:

Hahndorf

Stage 3

Distance:

132.5km

Start location:

Unley

End location:

Stirling

Stage 4

Distance:

149.5km

Start location:

Norwood

End location:

Goolwa

Stage 5

Distance:

149km

Start location:

Snapper Point

End location:

Willunga

Stage 6

Distance:

90km

Location

Adelaide

Team Astana, Alberto and Specialized share the same goal—to be the best. We are totally committed to supporting Alberto and the rest of the team in their pursuit of another Tour victory,” said Specialized Chief Brand Officer, Ben Capron from the company’s Headquarters in Morgan Hill, California. “Winning the Tour has been a dream of ours for many years, but even more important is the opportunity to work with riders like Contador and Vinokourov to help us create the best bikes possible and bring them to riders everywhere.” At the team’s training camp in Pisa, Italy, Team Astana’s General Manager Yvon Sanquer said, “Even when I worked with Specialized with Team Festina from 1999 to 2001, I could see the professional attitude that animated the company; they never stopped developing and improving the material they supplied to the riders. Since then, Specialized has continued its progression to become the reference point in road bikes.”

If you’re racing in some small town somewhere, a well attended motocrossmeeting can nearly double the population overnight. Don’t expect to just turn upthe day before and get somewhere to stay. Book ahead and save yourself the hassle,this is also handy when you’re on a budget and the last place with a vacancy isalso the most expensive place in town.Scrutineers have to check your bike (and quite often your helmet as well)to make sure it’s safe and passes certain inspections. These rules and regulations vary so make sure you’re up to date on what’s allowed and what’s not for your bike.If the race meeting has a rider’s briefing then go to it! They have them for a reason and will explain the starting procedure and quite often will inform the riders of a last minute change to the race order or something similar.Pick the best gate available to give you a good entry line into the first corner. Stamp down any loose dirt on your start pad and in front of your gate, if the rider before you left a wheel track that’s not straight your rear wheel will follow it.Use your legs to grip the bike, your leg muscles are the largest muscle group in your body and will take some of the strain off your arms and shoulders.

Grand Prix motorcycle racing refers to the premier category of motorcycle road racing. It is divided into three distinct classes: 125 cc, 250 cc and 800 cc MotoGP. Grand prix motorcycles are prototype machines not based on any production motorcycle. Dorna Sports, MotoGP’s parent company, has announced that the 250 cc class will be replaced with a 600 cc class as early as 2009.MotoGP, the premier class of GP motorcycle racing, has changed dramatically in recent years. From the mid-1970s until 2002 the top class of GP racing allowed 500cc with a maximum of 4 cylinders, regardless of whether the engine was a two-stroke or four-stroke. A Road Racing World Championship Grand Prix was first organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) in 1949. The commercial rights are owned by Dorna Sports. Teams are represented by the International Road Racing Teams Association (IRTA) and manufacturers by the Motorcycle Sport Manufacturers Association (MSMA).Superbike racing is a category of motorcycle road racing that employs modified production motorcycles. Superbike racing motorcycles must have four stroke engines of between 800 cc and 1200 cc for twins, and between 750 cc and 1000 cc for four cylinder machines. The motorcycles must maintain the same profile as their roadgoing counterparts. The overall appearance, seen from the front, rear and sides, must correspond to that of the bike homologated for use on public roads. By the 1970s, two-strokes completely eclipsed the four-strokes in all classes. In 1979, Honda made an attempt to return the four-stroke to the top class with the NR500, but this project failed, and in 1983, even Honda was winning with a two-stroke 500. The 50cc class was replaced by an 80cc class, then the class was dropped entirely in the 1990s, after being dominated primarily by Spanish and Italian makes.