Wednesday's Tour of Algarve Stage 1 departs Dunas Douradas at 12:45pm local (1:45pm CET, 7:45am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Albufeira at around 4:30pm local (5:30pm CET, 11:30am U.S. Eastern).  Tour of Algarve live video streaming is expected to begin at around 3:30pm local (4:30pm CET, 10:30am U.S. Eastern) via RTP Portugal, with Eurosport coverage scheduled to start 15 minutes later.

The 2012 schedule for the Tour of America’s Dairyland presented by Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (“ToAD”) is out. The omnium competition will travel throughout 11 Wisconsin communities, June 21 – July 1, and include four dates on the USA Cycling National Criterium Calendar (“NCC”).

Lotto Belisol rider beats Galimzyanov and Farrar into Wadi Al Huwqayn.

CyclingNews: Races & Results.
Tour of Oman (Stages & results),
Tour Méditerranéen Cycliste Professionnel (Stages & results),
Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria Challenge Calabria (Stages & results),
Internationale Cyclo-cross Heerlen GP Heuts (Elite men results),
Internationale Cyclo-cross Heerlen GP Heuts (Elite women results),
Superprestige Middelkerke (Elite men results),
Superprestige Middelkerke (Elite women results),
G.P. Stad Eeklo (Results),
Tour of Qatar (Stages & results),
Amgen Tour of California (Stages ),
More...

24-year-old Katusha sprinter improving day by day as he chases his first victory of the season; teammate Mikhail Ignatiev on the attack again.

Bart Wellens is determined to at least try and come back to riding on the cyclo-cross circuit, even if he is uncertain as to whether he will succeed. The Belgian is still undergoing medical procedures for the dental problems that are said to have caused the heart and kidney problems which hospitalized him earlier this year.

Team NetApp has received the final wildcard invitation to the 2012 Tour of Flanders. The German Professional Continental team impressed race organisers with their performance at last year's Paris-Roubaix.

Disc brakes are coming to road bikes. You don’t need to look any further than SRAM’s new hydraulic offerings as proof; they wouldn’t make it if major frame manufacturers weren’t ready to spec it. But is this progress being driven by the need for improved performance or consumer demand? And are there true performance gains to be found?

"From the latest product news to details of routes and events, our news round-up is a collection of short snippets of information in one handy article."

The more you learn about this era of cycling - not just in the US, but also in Europe - the more you want to know.

Direct-to-consumer retailers Williams Cycling have added road saddles, bars, stems and seatposts to their popular range of clincher and tubular road wheels. The American company are sticking to their usual business model with the new gear – a potent mix of performance and value.

Cycling was back on the streets this last week with wins by a top sprinter, World Champion Mark Cavendish, and an emerging one, Elia Viviani. The previous week's doping controversies were almost forgotten. The Jan Ullrich chapter is closed, Armstrong was drinking, and cycling only suffered only a slight hangover.

February 14th takes on a very different meaning for fans of pro cycling, this year marking eight years since Marco Pantani’s tragic death. But in 1998, Il Pirata was at the top – winning the rare Giro – Tour double. Ale Federico set out from Genoa on his new moto to see the race for himself, and recorded the odyssey in his personal diary…

The mentor and his apprentice.

Six years ago, I started working and writing for ElleGirl, and was probably one of the only college freshman who skipped out on orientation to head into the city for an industry party at MTV Studios.

Bright future ahead for Endura Racing rider.

Damiano Cunego, who at 22 years of age won the 2004 Giro d'Italia, has always had difficulty choosing between Grand Tour or Classics contention. As he this year enters his tenth season as a pro, the now 30-year-old has opted to focus on the Spring Classics and the Worlds in the Netherlands as his main targets in 2012. Like last year, the Lampre-ISD rider will skip the Giro d'Italia, and participate in the Tour de France, but without aiming at the general classification.

It’s a welcome change each February to watch the lead stories in cycling move from the minutia of law and bio-pharmacology to the nuance and verve of actual bicycle racing.

Bontrager's new inForm Pro last offers what is far and away the best fit of any shoe the company have produced to date. It could still use just a bit of tweaking around the ankle but for the most part, this is a superb shoe. BikeRadar verdict: 4.5 out of 5 stars. "Bontrager's best fit yet, plus they're lightweight, stiff, well vented and reasonably priced."

The partners of professional cyclists are long-suffering domestiques we often don't see. They wash dirty kit, put up with blurry Skype conversations, and, in some cases, look after the children or act as an airport taxi service.

Four smart mapping and tracking apps for your iPhone or Android.

Betsy Andreu. in 2006, and her husband Frankie provided sworn testimony that Armstrong told physicians in their presence in 1996 that he has used EPO (erythropoietin), growth hormone, steroids and testosterone.

In the priority list of life-as-cyclist, an S&S bike occupies slot number 2, right after the standard road bike, and well ahead of CX bike and miles ahead of a TT bike. Nothing is as sweet as screwing the airlines.

The Daily Distraction.

Spain’s sports minister acknowledged Tuesday that the country has a problem with doping that needs fixing, after its record in the fight against drugs came under further scrutiny following Alberto Contador’s ban from cycling, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.

Dizziness leads to ongoing assessment by brain doctors.

Multi-time Japanese national champion Kohei Yamamoto has joined Specialized Racing for 2012. Yamamoto becomes part of a roster full of mountain bike stars including cross country world champion Jaroslav Kulhavy, marathon world champion Christoph Sauser, Burry Stander, Todd Wells, Lea Davison, Rebecca Rusch and Ned Overend.

Red Bull’s Crashed Ice is likely the most terrifying sport invented by the drink manufacturer, where it seems the only way to survive is with ‘wings’. Prior to the skate finals in Valkenburg, The Netherlands, Red Bull sent four of their sponsored riders down the track in a feat that is nothing other than awe-inspiring.

The wheels may be big but the weight isn’t – and the handling is top-notch, too. BikeRadar verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. "Light, nimble and with the fluidity of Giant’s proven Maestro suspension, the Anthem X 29’er 1 is a thoroughbred speed machine."

Like the detachable tandem bike, the Rota has some excellent innovations that push the boundaries of bicycle design.  Argentinian designer Leandro Albino de Oliveira visualizes a bike that would fold with ease – with a couple of twists, the Rota becomes half its size.

“Jan Ullrich missed his last chance to win back even a little of his credibility, because he failed to come clean."  -  Dagmar Freitag CyclingNews

Not long until Bespoked on March 23rd-25th, meanwhile one of last year's star turns...

BikeRadar verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. "Very costly, but among the best made and comfiest to wear."

British rider making gradual progress with new squad.

Cancellara is racing this week at Oman after debuting at the Tour of Qatar, two important pre-season races that will help put “Spartacus” on a winning track heading toward the season’s first major goals.