After the short prologue time trial and the chaos of the first week, the first long individual time trial of the 2006 Tour de France was supposed to sort out the leaderboard and clear up any questions about the identities of the real yellow jersey contenders. And while the leaderboard…

The all-mountain Climate feels great out of the box and, thanks to a memory-foam footbed, just keeps getting better. And the locking lace loops on the side of the ankle keep the laces below tight. We also happen to think it’s the best-looking boot here. celsiussnow.com…

Outside magazine, June 1995 Books: The Dumbo Complex By Miles Harvey When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals, by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and Susan McCarthy (Delacorte Press, $23.95). In what might be considered a most idiosyncratic book, controversial Freud scholar Masson teams up with science writer…

Bike-friendly Congressman Earl Blumenauer talks to Outside’s Matthew Fishbane.

Modern cars are loaded with technology to get us out of sticky situations. Car and truck expert Wes Siler explains exactly what you should be using.

BURLY SUPPORTER Good for Technical Trails If the other shoes here are sedans, the Velocity is an SUV. A plastic spine in the midsole stiffens this powerful shoe and does an extraordinary job of correcting off-camber footstrikes. Testers appreciated the aggressive tread in muck, and rocks and roots were…

With a buckle closure and carbon sole, these have all the features of a top-end cleat—except the staggering price tag. bike.shimano.com…

Road Race-Ready The first iteration of this remarkably light and stiff shoe had just one Boa dial to adjust the fit. Now it has two. The result? One tester put on a pair out of the box and rode, blister-free, the long way from San Francisco to Las Vegas—over…

Road Fits Any Foot Thanks to its combination of a mesh tongue and underfoot vents for good airflow, the RLs proved to be impressively breathable, even on scorching rides in New Mexico. And while they fit most testers fine, you can get a customizable insole at esoles.com. Bonus: Compatible…

The Trip-Finder, January 1999 Antarctica Ski Mountaineering in Queen Maud Land Outfitter Price Accommodations Adventure Network International 011-44-1494-671-808, www.adventure-network.com $25,000 camping Cascade Alpine Guides & Adventures 800-981-0381, www.cascade-alpine.com $30,000 camping Geographic Expeditions 800-777-8183, www.geoex.com…