CyclingFans: Race starts at 11:30am CET (5:30am U.S. Eastern). Finish at around 4:38pm CET (10:38am U.S. Eastern). Live video from 2:00pm CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern).

Boulder Report: Neither Hushovd nor Gilbert will race Sunday’s KBK. That’s a little curious on Hushovd’s part as KBK is more of a sprinters’ race than Omloop. It has hills but not nearly as many as the Omloop’s numerous hellingen. But they’ll share the team lead Saturday even as both play down their ambitions.

VeloNation: World time trial champion now just eleven seconds behind Kristin Armstrong.

Today's Quote

“Where are those who have ridden with Ricco now? Those who were with him then, where are they now? In this world of sharks, nobody, nobody is there. Mercy and love are words we are taught as children. We must give him strength and we must reach out for him. I want him to remember the good of cycling. It will not be easy, because he is still wearing the badge and thinking of riding and of revenge."  -  Mario Cipollini CyclingNews

Peloton: Just as everyone in basketball is drooling over the sensational Jeremy Lin, so everyone in pro cycling is talking about the remarkable Jon Tiernan-Locke.

RedKitePrayer: In the eyes of most fans, the season officially begins this Saturday with the 67th edition of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad—to be followed Sunday by the 65th running of Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne.

CyclingNews: Races & Results.
Le Tour de Langkawi (Stages & results),
Women's Tour of New Zealand (Stages & results),
Vuelta a Andalucia (Stages & results),
Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne (Start list),
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite (Start list),
Rutas de América (Stages & results),
Amgen Tour of California (Stages ),
More...

road.cc: A lovely cyclocross bike with a light weight and a soft character, best-suited to those with finesse.

First stage race victory since the 2009 Vuelta a España for former suspended rider.

On arrival, as in past years, the pro’s went for a 20 minute “fun ride” with cycling enthusiasts from the public. LTdL organisers estimated 300 people turned up for this year’s ride; roughly 200 fewer participants than a similar event led by Alexandre Vinokourov two days prior. Meanwhile, dignitaries were treated to a small parade during their short walk to an open-sided tent, which stood on a grassy field opposite the presentation stage.

Stage 2 starts at 10:00am local (3:00am CET) (9:00pm U.S. Eastern Friday). Finish at around 1:33pm local (6:33am CET) (12:33am U.S. Eastern).

CyclingNews: David Zabriskie has started the 2012 season on a high note with a large margin of one minute over runner up Adam Phelan from Drapac in the 20.3km opening time trial of Le Tour de Langkawi.

VeloNation: American rider performs well in Langkawi time trial despite recent bone graft.

VeloNation: Avid comic book and movie fan speaks about his interests away from the bike.

SBS: Scientists at the Australian Institute of Sport have made it their job this year and tackle what's become a critical factor in any Olympic sport - home advantage.

VeloNews: In 2011, Kristin McGrath was the top-placing U.S. rider at Belgium’s Flèche-Wallonne Féminine. Following the same course as the men’s race, the women climbed the infamous 20-percent gradients of the Mur de Huy twice, and McGrath, a 29-year old who was born in Durango, Colorado and races for the Exergy-Twenty12 squad, finished 27 seconds in arrears of Dutch winner Marianne Vos.

road.cc: You thought that was all we had on iceBike?

The Daily Distraction.

CyclingNews: "During 2010 and 2011, CADF activities were focused on consolidating and improving the Biological Passport Program (BP)," the report stated. "The use of this very important tool in the fight against doping was progressively modified in order to emphasize quality instead of quantity. By applying "intelligent testing", we were able to perform fewer tests on riders having normal ABP profiles (based on a significant number of samples already collected), while more tests were performed on riders having abnormal blood profiles."

InnerRing: The season started in January, collarbones have been snapped already. We’ve had racing in the Middle-East and the shores of the Mediterranean too. But this weekend marks the start of racing in Belgium and the intensity of the racing goes up and the quality of the road surface goes down.

CyclingNews: The freezing early February weather may have granted Riccardo Ricco a temporary stay of execution by conspiring to postpone his hearing in front of the Italian national doping tribunal, but according to a legend of Italian cycling the 28-year-old rider should not be thinking about continuing in the sport.

Scarponi, one of the few riders whose results have actually got better since being busted for drugs, must be feeling rather sheepish about the whole thing. It seems 'Il Presidente' can do no wrong this year: he's yet to put his feet in the pedals but is already racking up numerous wins and accolades.

BikeRumor: Here's part four of the series following British cross-country mountain bike racer Oli Beckingsale's rehabilitation from the broken leg he suffered on the circuit last season.

BikeRumor: Tom Ritchey built his first frames in 1972, making this his 40th year of framebuilding. To celebrate, he’ll be bringing to NAHBS the first of 40 classic Ritchey frames hand built by the man himself. They’ll feature special 40th anniversary paint and graphics and include a few new builds using vintage tubing.

road.cc: Camille McMillan and Luke Scheybeler talk to Simon MacMichael about their collaboration on iPad app.

RedKitePrayer: "Many fans could care less about the first four weeks of the professional cycling season. Part of me can’t blame them. I mean seriously—Argentina? Qatar? Oman? And of these early races, only a few feature terrain that puts the majority of the peloton into the red zone. In most cases, crosswinds and cold weather do more damage than the actual racing does."