Devoted to the auto industry – builders to enthusiasts

The World Championships of professional men's and women's road cycling will be held through Sept. 30 in Stuttgart, Germany.

It has nothing to do with automobiles with the exception of team and race officials' vehicles on the various courses.

Oh, there's also one other automotive component to the championships.

If you're a Mercedes Benz enthusiast, Stuttgart is the location of the Mercedes Benz Museum. It's a one-of-a-kind homage to the famous automobile as well as a triumph to modern architecture.

I have a few journalism friends attending the cycling championships, including photographer Casey Gibson of Colorado Springs, Colo. I last saw Casey at the Tour of Missouri, and we've spent plenty of time together covering cycling events through the years — the Tour de France to the Sea Otter Classic, the Tour of California to Interbike, the international cycling trade show in Las Vegas.

With two other photographers, Marketa and Frank, Gibson spent an afternoon this week at the Mercedes Benz Museum, and he sent me an e-mail and several images from his tour of the facility.

"It's truly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen," Gibson said of the museum. "Both the cars and the incredible building they put them in.

"Marketa, who is a great photographer from the Czech Republic and an associate of the famous Belgian cycling photographer, Cor Vos, said it was better than The Guggenheim."

If its web site represents the Mercedes Benz museum in any way, Gibson is understating his experience. The site has a futuristic appeal and wonderful history of the Mercedes brand. Visit: www.museum-mercedes-benz.com.

Gibson, who will be on assignment for several cycling publications throughout the World Cycling Championships, also has an impressive web site. Visit: www.cbgphoto.com.