Rasmussen reigns supreme

By Paul Verkuylen in Xining, China

Alex Rasmussen (Denmark)
Photo ©: Mark Gunter

Blasting around the almost flat 3.8 kilometer prologue circuit at over 56km/h, Alex Rasmussen (Danish National team) clocked a time of 4.03.82 to take the first leaders yellow jersey of the 2008 Tour of Qinghai Lake. The Dane blew away the competition, finishing just over ten seconds clear of David McCann (Giant Asia Racing) with a further two seconds back to Oscar Sevilla (Rock Racing).

We are reviewing these products at the moment:

Gatorbrake 6 piston hydraulic brakes - excellent lever feel! The best I have ever experienced. Some mounting issues may limit their appeal however.

SR Suntour Durolux 2009 model (link takes you to the 2008 model) - Visually beautiful fork - truly great looking. Simple shiny white with minimalistic logos. Performance wise, still too early to tell. Need to brake them in more. They seem under damped, but that may be because they feel so plush. See preview here.

X-Fusion Shox H3 rear shock - we are eagerly expecting its arrival! The specifications sound great and we will be very happy to bring you the first real life review if this exciting shock.

Banshee Rune and Banshee Wildcard - these reviews may take a while as they are being done by Tim and Kevin. Initial feedback is: Wildcard is just tough as nuts. You can bash it into anything and not care. Rune is its lithe sibling - it will still take the abuse, but will also reward you when you want it to be nimble.