The Eurobike show opened today in Friedrichshafen, Germany, drawing 40,000 visitors and 1,600 journalists. This is where the trends on two wheels are set on a worldwide stage. And we couldn’t be more proud to be there showcasing Edge 800 — the first touchscreen GPS-enabled bike computer. Our booth will have an ongoing stream of gear-loving press and cyclists who want to be among the first to get their hands on this fine device. Once they start to play, they’ll discover there’s a lot more to the Edge 800 than good looks. Providing navigation and performance monitoring, it’s ideal for the “I wanna get lost but still find my way back” mountain bikers, the touring/commuting/recreational crowd and the performance cyclists, including the pros from Team Garmin. Congrats to Team Garmin’s Tyler Farrar for winning the sprint finish at the Vuelta a España today!

Last Friday, I had a chance to take the 800 out for its maiden voyage. This was a lunchtime ride with four cycling coworkers who’ve been collectively logging lots of miles from Garmin HQ. Needless to say, I didn’t have a chance to touch, tap and admire the Edge during this ride. I have to work my tail off to not get dropped by this group, but that’s exactly the way I like to roll. Our group included Owen, our lead-out man who rides for a local cycling team. Matt, who’s strong as an ox and I believe could pull me up the Tourmalet in a headwind. Scott, who holds a steady line ideal to draft off and probably has more bike miles logged than the rest of us put together and squared. And then there’s Ryan, who, in the span of about a month, ran his first half marathon, got hitched, biked across Iowa, signed up for his first marathon and committed to his first MS150 ride. Ryan was also Edge 800-equipped for this ride. Here’s a peek at our short-but-sweet ride in Garmin Connect.

From a Garmin insider who’s accustomed to our engineers pulling out all the stops, I have to say, our fitness team really outdid themselves on this one. The display is beautiful and crisp, the touchscreen very responsive. And knowing our design engineers have put this unit through the testing rigors, I’ll have no worries getting caught in the rain or subjecting it to the elements. Can’t wait to take it on a 70-mile ride this coming Monday. What better way to celebrate Labor Day than a long ride? Stay tuned for more Edge 800 news. And if you’re lucky enough to be at Eurobike this week, be sure to stop by our booth, A5-201. Or see us at  Interbike, Sept. 22-24, booth 2631.

Laptop, Check.  GPSMAP 696, Check.  A Blog topic for this week, Check!  Garmin’s engineers are at it again.  Recently they have added a new feature to the 696 that will allow customers to add customized checklists.  That’s right.  No more flipping through a multitude of pages for Pre-Flight, Engine Start, Taxi, Pre-Takeoff, and etc.  With the 696 and G3X you can literally make your own checklist and check off the items as you complete them.  Still don’t believe me?  Then check it out yourself with the free checklist editor here.

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It’s been a busy week for Team Garmin, which becomes Team Garmin-Cervélo in 2011. The team issued the following press release with more exciting roster announcements as Eurobike kicked off, marking the debut of the new touchscreen Edge 800.

BOULDER, COLORADO (September 1, 2010) — Slipstream Sports today announced six additions to the 2011 roster, marking the remaining Cervélo TestTeam riders to join the newly formed Team Garmin-Cervélo.

Roger Hammond (UK), Heinrich Haussler (AUS), Andreas Klier (GER), Brett Lancaster (AUS), Daniel Lloyd (UK) and Gabriel Rasch (NOR) will join teammate Thor Hushovd (NOR) in 2011. These seven will be joining Garmin riders including Tyler Farrar, Ryder Hesjedal, Christian Vande Velde, David Zabriskie and Dan Martin.

“Team Garmin-Cervélo’s roster will be strong and versatile,” said Jonathan Vaughters, CEO, Slipstream Sports. “All of these riders bring a lot of experience to what’s already a great team. I’m proud of what we’ve done since 2008, and I’m excited for what we’ll do in 2011.”

The creation of Team Garmin-Cervélo is still under development. More information, including an official team roster, will be released as it becomes available.

When we talk about how Garmin’s Forerunner 110 is meant to simply answer runners’ two most important questions – How fast and how far? – the answers get even easier when the runner is Ryan Hall. How fast? Very. How far? Very.

While Forerunner 110 is easy enough for beginners training for their first 5K, its GPS-enabled features are powerful and accurate enough for elite runners such as Ryan. Check out this video from Ryan’s YouTube channel (which is full of helpful training tips) and hear him talk about his favorite features … while he runs … uphill … at a 7-minute pace. Sigh. And to learn more about these easy-to-use features, visit our online learning center and watch Peg’s demonstrations in the short tutorial videos.

Thor Hushovd, Norwegian Road Race Champion, nine-time Tour de France stage winner and 2009 green jersey holder, will ride for Team Garmin-Cervélo in 2011. Team Garmin-Transitions and Cervélo SA announced last week they will join forces for the 2011 season to create a new team that will be known as Garmin-Cervélo.

“I’m proud to join Team Garmin-Cervélo in 2011. Cervélo has been a great supporter for the past two years and its partnership with Garmin feels like a good fit,” said Hushovd. “I chose Garmin-Cervélo because I have a lot of respect for what Jonathan Vaughters has done for cycling, because I think we’ll have a very strong, competitive team, and because I’ll be able to continue to work with Cervélo. I look forward to seeing what we can all do together next year.”

Hushovd started racing at age 9 and went on to win the under-23 time trial world championship and the under-23 versions of Paris-Roubaix and Paris-Tours. He turned professional in 2000 and is considered one of the best sprinters, time trialists, and Classics riders in the world. Hushovd has twice finished in the top three of Paris-Roubaix and will focus on a strong Classics campaign with Garmin-Cervélo.

“We are incredibly excited to bring Thor to the team in 2011,” said Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of Slipstream Sports. “One of our goals is to become stronger in the Classics, and adding a world-class rider like Thor will get us there. He’s an exceptionally talented rider and a great fit for our new team.”

“I’m going to focus my season on the Classics,” said Hushovd. “My biggest goal is to get one major Classics victory in 2011. I’ve come close over the past few years so I will build on that experience and hopefully, stand on the podium with my new team.”

The creation of the new team is still under development. More information, including official team rosters, will become available in the October timeframe.