Commentary: A nationals disaster.

Something fell apart in Austin, Texas, over the past weekend. Somehow, somewhere, communication failed, planning failed; the stewards of the sport of cyclocross in the United States failed.

Does failure, however, go hand-in-hand with fault?

Just hours before the final day’s racing was set to commence in Austin’s Zilker Park, the U.S. national cyclocross championship was canceled, postponed, and then finally rescheduled for the following afternoon — a Monday.

Hundreds of racers, their families, their teams, and their fans were forced to scramble — changing flights, extending hotel stays, and taking another day off from work — or they were forced to simply go home, back to their real lives away from the mud.

The underpinnings of the failures are complicated. Blame is difficult to extract from the work of lady luck and difficult to pin down on any single party. But the foundation is clear: It all starts with the trees.

Tirreno-Adriatico only race to attract top four Tour favorites.

Tirreno-Adriatico succeeded in doing what only the Tour de France could do, attracting the top four grand tour cyclists for its 2015 edition, March 11 to 17.

Chris Froome, Alberto Contador, Nairo Quintana, and Vincenzo Nibali — winners of 11 grand tours in total — planned their schedules to be ready for Tour de France. Only once will their paths cross along the way, in Italy’s Tirreno-Adriatico.

The Corsa dei Due Mari, or Race of the Two Seas, starts in Tuscany’s Camaiore with a 22.7-kilometer team time trial and ends on Italy’s east coast in San Benedetto del Tronto with a individual TT of 10 kilometers.

In between, the race will finish on flat roads in three of its days, cover the medium mountains to Castelraimondo, and climb to Monte Terminillo.

Nuyens set to announce retirement.

Former Tour of Flanders winner Nick Nuyens is expected to announce his retirement this afternoon, according to Het Nieuwsblad. The Belgian rider has called a press conference where it is believed that he will confirm his departure from the sport after failing to secure a contract for the 2015.

Nuyens turned professional in 2003 with the QuickStep-Davitamon team, with whom he took victories at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, Omloop Het Volk and the Tour of Britain. His biggest success came in 2011 where he beat Sylvain Chavanel and Fabian Cancellara in a sprint to take victory at the Tour of Flanders. It would turn out to be the final victory of his career.

Hannah Barnes wins stage two at Tour Femenino de San Luis.

Hannah Barnes completed a hat-trick of wins in Argentina yesterday evening (January 12), picking up her third victory in as many days by taking stage two of the Tour Femenino de San Luis.

Barnes won Saturday’s Gran Prix San Luis Femenino before racing to victory in stage one of the Tour Femenino on Sunday.

And, on Monday, Barnes increased her lead in the Tour’s General Classification over Elena Cecchini and Arianna Fidanza to 11sec and 16sec respectively.

Chris Froome on the Tour, training and just why he stares at his stem.

Happy newlywed Chris Froome is notably early for our interview. “Sophie?” he says tentatively in an unmistakable Saffa accent before approaching with a two-kiss greeting at a non-descript hotel foyer in Launceston, Tasmania where he is staying.

The 2013 Tour de France champion has embarked on an 11-hour journey from South Africa to Australia for a self-appointed training camp with Sky team-mate and Launceston native Richie Porte. It effectively marks the beginning of his pre-season after an eventful break that included marrying long-time girlfriend, Michelle Cound in Cape Town.

“We’re based in Johannesburg [in the off-season] but I think Michelle and I first got to know each other years ago down in Cape Town, so it was a nice way to do it,” Froome says smiling.

Cycling nutrition - why carbs?

A good sportive or gran fondo nutrition strategy can mean the difference between feeling strong and wanting to throw your road bike in a ditch. Just as getting in the base miles prepares you for the long ride ahead, the key to successful sportive nutrition begins well before your event.

Sports nutritionist Emma Barraclough knows the science and practice of getting your fuelling right inside out. Here she explains why carbs remain the primary source of fuel for high-performance endurance events and how to work out how much you’ll need.

2014-15 Races & Results.

Australia Road National Championships - Jan 7-11 (Results),

Santos Tour Down Under 2015 - Jan 18-25 (Stages),

Dubai Tour 2015 - Feb 4-7 (Stages),

Giro d'Italia 2015 - May 9-31 (Stages),

Tour de France 2015 - July 4-26 (Stages),

UCI Road World Championship 2014 - Sept 20-27 (Results),

Vuelta a España 2014 - Aug 23-Sept 14 (Results),

Tour de France 2014  - July 5-27 (Results),

Giro d'Italia 2014 - May 9 - June 1 (Results),

More ...

 (cyclingnews.com)

Bike race turns boxing match in Venezuela.

Bike racing often inflames great passions, but it's rare to see that result in fisticuffs between riders.

But that's what happened at the Vuelta al Tachira in Venezuela, when a dispute between members of the Russian team and the local Loteria Del Tachira squad got physical.

News reports are sketchy on the detail, to say the least, but it appears the fight started after the second stage on January 10, in Santa Barbara de Barinas.

2015 POV Camera Shootout: Garmin Virb Elite.

The Garmin Virb is a two-in-one solution for Strava users or anyone who wants to track mileage, time, speed and other applicable ride metrics — and shoot video. It merges a Garmin Edge GPS unit with an easy-to-use, affordable POV camera. While the Virb isn’t the smallest, lightest or best performing camera in this shootout, for $270 you get both a GPS unit and a POV camera. That’s pretty sweet.

With a 1.4-inch color LCD display and intuitive controls, the Virb is simple to operate. It has up to 3 hours of battery life and is waterproof to 3.3 feet without a separate waterproof case. Performance wise, the Virb isn’t the best camera in our test. It only records 30 FPS in full HD and its fastest frame rate is 60 FPS (at 960 or 720p). The video quality is also lacking. It’s very contrasty and oversaturated, resulting in footage that feels a bit surreal. Not everyone needs cinema quality video, though. For riders who want to track their adventures and have a POV camera, the Garmin Virb makes a lot of sense – especially for the money.

Powers flawless en route to third US 'cross title.

Compton defends U.S. ‘cross crown for 11th consecutive year.

USA Cycling announces 2015 world cyclocross championship squads.

Following the commpletion of the national cyclocross championships on Monday, USA Cycling announced on Tuesday the 23 athletes selected to represent the United States at the 2015 UCI Cyclocross World Championships slated for January 31 and February 1 in Tabor, Czech Republic.

10 Predictions for 2015.

Cycling’s never a predictable sport, it can’t be in a contest where 200 riders can start together as opposed to the binary contests in other sports between two teams or just two players. Add to this the varied of geography, extreme weather and other variables and picking winners is difficult.

Plus there’s all the activity outside the races, from tech to politics, business to doping scandals. With these excuses in mind, here are 10 predictions for 2015.

Alberto Contador speaks about his Giro-Tour ambitions.

Cycling’s most successful active Grand Tour rider, Alberto Contador aims to retire in 2017 and in style. For 2015, he wants to become the first cyclist to win the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France double since Marco Pantani in 1998.

“At the end of my career, I want to be remembered as someone who did something truly special. Who made history,” Contador told La Gazzetta dello Sport at Tinkoff’s training camp in Sicily.

“At this point, the possibility for me is to win the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the same year is not only difficult, it’s risky.”

Funston, Ramsay, White and Hecht Take Junior Titles at the 2015 National Championships.

The Junior Women 15-16 were the last of a three age group race to take off from the start, and all the riders and parents were warned before the race and at the startline that the finish could get confusing: after all, the Junior Women 15-16 were slotted to race a 30 minute race among other fields that were due to race ten minutes longer.

The lap count was off for them, the announcers told the winner that there was still one lap to go, the winner was then pulled to the side to leave, and it was then she realized she was the winner. Turner Ramsey was the one consistent in the race. The young New England rider rode so well, she shed any possibility of controversy from the race. She was unarguably the winner of the 15-16 age group, not only riding through the traffic of 17-18 year old Junior women, but 17-18 year old Junior men that started a full two minutes before she was off on the starting blocks.

Team Wiggins’ racing debut delayed.

Team Wiggins will no longer make its racing debut at this month’s Challenge Majorca as originally planned.

Britain’s newest UCI-ranked team was scheduled to race in the series of four, one-day races [January 29 – February 1], but the squad’s riders will now compete in the event for a GB national team.

Wiggins himself will race in three of the four races – missing out the Trofeo Alcudia on January 31 – as part of his final outings for Team Sky.

It is currently not known when Team Wiggins will make its official racing debut – potentially at the opening round of the British Cycling Elite Road Series, the Tour of Lancs, on April 4.

Cycling shoes: A buyer’s guide.

Anyone who’s serious about cycling – whether that’s commuting longer distances, riding sportives or racing – will need a good pair of cycling shoes.

There are a range of types, and a huge selection of brands, models and price brackets – so getting the right cycling shoes for you can be difficult. This guide is here to help you find the best shoes for your money, and for the kind of cycling you’ll be doing.

Dave Brailsford pays tribute to Bradley Wiggins’ Team Sky contribution.

Dave Brailsford believes fellow knight Bradley Wiggins still has some moments of greatness left as his career comes to a close.

Wiggins will race with Brailsford’s Team Sky until the end of April, before joining up with his own development team, WIGGINS.

But the Sky boss admits replacing the 2012 Tour de France winner will be a considerable challenge.

“As soon as you think about trying to replace someone like Bradley, you back yourself into a corner,” Brailsford told Press Association Sport.

Team Sky hitting reset button for 2015.

From the outside, everything looked the same around Team Sky’s off-season home on Spain’s Mallorca island. A low-slung winter sun warmed the white sandy beach. With almost no tourists, the local roads and mild winter weather make for an ideal headquarters for the team. So much so, Team Sky boss Dave Brailsford has been bringing cyclists here for more than 15 years.

Yet the 2015 season is a very new one in many regards for the British team. It marks a season of transition and departure. No longer is the squad the new kid on the block. No longer do they have a monopoly on cutting-edge training techniques, especially with rival teams hiring away their coaches and staff. Team icon Bradley Wiggins is on the way out.

On The Road: Etixx – Quick-Step.

The media day’s with the Etixx – Quick-Step team’s previous incarnations were normally run smoothly and the interviews were relaxed and usually humorous. But this year there seemed to be too many TV crews and not enough seats in the vehicles and add to that, Mr. Cavendish was in one of his moods, the day was not quite as much fun as usual.

As is the team’s habit when it comes to the second training camp of the year, they were based in Calpe on Spain’s Costa Blanca. They also have a pre-Christmas camp in Oliva 50 kilometers up the road, but without the annoyance of the press.

Just like last year there would be a short training ride with the chance of rider photos followed by lunch and then a presentation from all the top men of the team management and then the interviews with the riders.

Andrew Talansky: Unfinished business with the Tour de France.

Vincenzo Nibali’s 2015 race schedule revealed; fewer racing days for the Italian.

PEZ: Daily Distractions.

(pezcyclingnews.com)

Videos: 2015 USA Cyclocross National Championships.

Dombrowski: Aiming for good health and consistency in 2015.

Joe Dombrowski has recovered from a blocked iliac artery in his left leg that rendered him chronically injured for nearly two years, and he is ready to restart his career in 2015. The young American talent rode for Team Sky in 2013 and 2014. He has been given a second shot at the WorldTour with Cannondale-Garmin this year and it could mark the beginning of his steady progression back to being one of the sport’s future stars.

The 23-year-old spoke at the recent Cannondale-Garmin team launch in New York City, where he described his turbulent debut on the WorldTour, recovering from surgery to correct his iliac artery injury, and where he sees his career headed under the guidance of Jonathan Vaughters. He will debut in the new-look Cannondale-Garmin kit at the Tour de San Luis that starts in Argentina on Monday.

Cadel Evans: The legacy of Australia's greatest rider.

As the first Australian to win the Tour and the Worlds, Cadel Evans is assured a prime place in the record books. Yet for much of his road career, the ex-mountain biker was a nearly man, seemingly always lacking the killer instinct to turn podium places into victories. But in the latter years frustration finally turned to glory. When his career terminates in February at the Great Ocean Road Race that bears his name, it's going to be emotional. "I'm just hoping it doesn't bring tears. It's going to be hard to race for the last time."

Tour Down Under 2015: Eight things to watch out for.

Christmas is over, the New Year has dawned, and it’s time for cycling fans and pro cyclists alike to switch their attention to the first significant race of 2015: the Santos Tour Down Under.

There’s no other race like it on the calendar: the route is, if we are honest, relatively tame, but that does not necessarily make for a straightforward event, or one lacking in surprises or interest.

Here are eight things to watch out for during the 2015 Tour Down Under.

Southam: We need to take our chances at Tour Down Under.

"The joke in the UK, of course, is that in Australia everyone lives upside down. It is a bad joke, and Australians don’t, of course, live upside down. But as a cycling nation, while Australia isn’t quite the wrong way up, it could be seen to be a little off kilter. Cycling is, by and large, a summer sport and while Australian cycling is enjoying its scorching hot summer peak, the rest of the world has traditionally just been getting ready.

After a twelve-year on-off relationship with Australia, last December I switched hemispheres to take on a role as Sports Director of Australia’s only Pro Continental team, Drapac Professional Cycling. From the moment that I was given my first set of team car keys I have been working towards the window of opportunity that arises when the European spring and Australian summer overlap at the Tour Down Under."

Mareczko ready to take on Cavendish in San Luis sprints.

Italian cycling has a new sprinter. Jakub Mareczko is just 20 and is riding his first race as a professional but has already won two stages at the Vuelta al Tachira and will go up against Mark Cavendish next week at the Tour de San Luis.

Mareczko won 13 races as an Under 23 rider in 2014 and was the most successful rider in Italy. He was quickly signed by the troubled Neri Sottoli team, which has since become Southeast after the Chinese steel company took over as title sponsor and saw the team wear a grey kit instead of fluorescent yellow. Mareczko was born in Poland but moved to Brescia in Italy with his family when he was five. He is 1.69m tall and weighs just 68kg but is a pure sprinter who loves to use his finishing speed to win.

“I love the sprints more than anything. I even prefer to watch a sprint or a Classic than a mountain stage in a Grand Tour,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport after his second victory at the Vuelta al Tachira.

2015 Tour de San Luis LIVE.

Monday's (January 19, 2015) Tour de San Luis Stage 1 departs San Luis at 1:49pm local (11:49am U.S. Eastern, 17:49 CET) and is expected at the finish at Villa Mercedes at around 6:15pm local (4:15pm U.S. Eastern, 22:15 CET).  Tour de San Luis live video streaming is expected for the start and the finish.

News shorts: Broken collarbone for Burke.

Orica-AIS announce Santos Women's Tour team, Barnes wins again in Argentina.

Champion Nibali outlines Tour de France preparation.

Reigning Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali will warm up for his defense of the yellow jersey with the punishing Critérium de Dauphiné in June, his coach Paolo Slongo revealed on Tuesday.

The Italian, 30, will begin his season’s work at the Tour of Dubai (February 4-7) and the Tour of Oman (February 17-22), before the Italian races in March, featuring the Strade-Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, and Milano-Sanremo, Slongo told Cycling Weekly.

Nibali finished seventh in last year’s Dauphiné behind surprise American winner Andrew Talansky and during a race when former Tour de France winners Alberto Contador finished second and Briton Chris Froome struggled home after crashing.