Kittel: It's an important time in the history of the sport.

Marcel Kittel was never the wistful kid that sat roadside, waiting for a bidon or to ask a cycling star for an autograph or photo.

“I was not a crazy cycling fan,” Kittel told Cycling Central.

“I was not a generation (Jan) Ullrich that followed him at the Tour de France, definitely not. When I started cycling I was just curious about the sport in general.

Dubai Tour: Degenkolb wins at Hatta Dam.

As he collapsed on the tarmac gasping for breath, it was clear that John Degenkolb had given it everything on the final 17 per cent climb towards the Hatta Dam. The German struck out at the foot of the 300-metre ascent and raced his way into the leader’s jersey.

Alejandro Valverde made his move a fraction after Degenkolb but it was too late to bring him back, and had to settle for second.

Tour of Qatar news shorts: Tetrick inspired by Merckx pep-talk.

Elvin shows attacking spirit, Hosking makes Boels Dolmans work for it.

2014-15 Races & Results.

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

Tour of Qatar 2015 - Feb 8-13 (Stages),

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

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

Vuelta a España 2015 - Aug 22-Sept 13 (Stages),

UCI Road World Championship 2015 - Sept 20-27 (Stages),

Ladies Tour of Qatar 2015 - Feb 3-6 (Results),

UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships - Jan 31-Feb 1 (Results),

Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race - Feb 1 (Results),

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

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 ...

Amanda Nauman: The North American World Cup Selections from the View of an Elite Racer.

“The UCI mandates that each federation’s current top eight Elite men and women UCI points scorers, if ranked in the top 50 overall, must be allowed to start each World Cup if they choose to.

If any of the top eight USA riders ranked inside the top 50 UCI overall choose not to start a World Cup, we are NOT allowed to fill those unused spots with additional riders.

If the USA does not have eight riders ranked inside the top 50 UCI overall then we may add additional riders to the start list."

Dubai Tour 2015 Live Dashboard ...

2015 Dubai Tour LIVE.

Friday's Dubai Tour Stage 3 (the Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority stage) departs Dubai at 10:20am local (7:20am CET, 1:20am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Hatta Dam at around 3:30pm local (12:30pm CET, 6:30am U.S. Eastern).  Dubai Tour live video streaming is expected to begin at around 1:30pm local (10:30am CET, 4:30am U.S. Eastern).

Tour of Qatar 2015 Live Dashboard.

Sunday's Tour of Qatar Stage 1 departs Dukhan at 1:15pm local (11:15am CET, 5:15am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Sealine Beach at around 4:26pm local (2:26pm CET, 8:26am U.S. Eastern). 

Tour of Qatar live video streaming is expected to begin at around 3:15pm local (1:15pm CET, 7:15am U.S. Eastern).

2015 Hour Record LIVE stream - Rohan Dennis Attempt.

Rohan Dennis takes a shot at the hour record. Tune in on Sunday February 8 (1.50pm local time, GMT +1).

Live coverage for Sunday's hour record attempt by Rohan Dennis is scheduled to begin at 1:50pm CET (7:50am U.S. Eastern).

Viviani wins Dubai Tour stage 2, Cavendish keeps GC lead.

Cavendish finds solace despite defeat in the Dubai Tour sprint.

Lefevere impressed with Cavendish's sprinting anger at the Dubai Tour.

Impey Tucks for ITT Victory in South Africa.

World Cup Winners Cant, Pauwels Win at Parkcross Maldegem. Cant’s Season “Cake Without the Icing.”

New Cyclocross World Champions Are All U23.

Roadtripping India: Part Two.

Pinotti on Dennis’ hour record bid: “The record is within his possibilities.”

Speaking prior to Rohan Dennis’ big bid on Sunday to take the UCI world hour record, BMC Racing Team trainer Marco Pinotti has detailed the preparations for the Australian’s attack on the mark and spoken about the obstacles to be overcome.

The former professional began the final block of work with Dennis on Saturday after the latter flew back to Europe following his overall victory in the Santos Tour Down Under.

That stage race success showed his form is very strong, but Pinotti said that there was a complication that has to be completely negated in order for Dennis to be in the right position to attack the hour record mark.

Armitstead wins final stage of Ladies Tour of Qatar.

Lizzie Armitstead won the final stage of the Ladies Tour of Qatar, securing her position as the overall race winner ahead of Chloe Hosking.

Coquard wins stage 3 of Etoile de Bessèges.

Theuns takes over race lead.

The Power of Music.

Jack Bobridge’s UCI Hour Record attempt had him riding to a chosen soundtrack with a series of selected songs.

Twitter found some of the songs amusing but there’s a performance aspect as music can make you go faster.

Many riders, like Mike Teunissen, use it during a warm-up.

The velodrome is unique because a rider can have music played to them during competition. Should Rohan Dennis compile a playlist?

Bronzini highlights gender inequality in prize money.

Two-time world champion Giorgia Bronzini has told Cyclingnews that more should be done in order to lessen the gulf between men’s and women’s prize money at races.

The Italian, who rides for Wiggle Honda, praised the work that has gone into improving the structure of the women’s sport in recent years but stressed that the discrepancies in prize funds still needed addressing.

Bronzini pointed to the Giro d’Italia and Giro Rosa as an example. In 2014 the men’s race held a prize fund purse totalling 1,378,000 Euro.

Each stage win was worth 11,000 Euro and a day in the pink jersey was worth 1000 Euro. The final overall winner received 200,000 Euro.

In comparison the Giro Rosa held a purse of 17,666 Euro with the eventual winner taking him just over 500 Euro.

Talk: Derek Hunt.

Derek Hunt was born a star bike rider: Top UK schoolboy and junior and then straight off to Holland to crack the very hard Euro road and ‘6 Day’ scene.

He seamlessly stepped up to the pro ranks for some solid results and then… Ed Hood’s in-depth interview discovers life on the road in the 70’s and 80’s.

His road performances, notably a fine overall win in the 1980 Tour de la Province de Liege gained him a contract with the Boston professional team alongside Tour de France winner Lucien Van Impe for 1981.

Three second places in stages of the Ruta Del Sol, a solid ride in Milan-Sanremo, 25th in the Amstel Gold race and 14th in Liege-Bastogne-Liege boded very well for the future.

But crashes and teams folding took their toll; so Hunt headed off to catch some waves ‘Down Under’ before his immense potential was ever realized.
.

Cyclocross LIVE stream - 2015 BPost Bank Trophy Cyclocross at Lille and Superprestige Hoogstraten.

Livestreams Saturday get underway at 2:45pm CET (8:45am U.S. Eastern) with the Elite Men race starting at 3:00pm CET (9:00am U.S. Eastern).

McGrane on McQuaid: “Doping by amateurs was reason I wanted change.”

Daily Distractions.

BSNYC Friday Fun Quiz!

Commentary: A letter to the UCI president.

"Dear Brian,

It’s hard to be the boss. Believe me, I know. And to be in charge on a worldwide stage?

To be subject to the armchair quarterbacking of any idiot with an iPhone and an opinion? I can’t even imagine.

But I’m writing today because I need you. We need you.

You see, I love pro cycling. Everything about it captivates me: the drama, the personalities, the technology. But more than anything else, what draws me to cycling, as both a rider and a fan, is that every day is a chance to redefine what’s possible."

Orica-GreenEdge's approach to Caleb Ewan in his first season as a professional is about building his confidence before heading over to Europe.

Three straight Bay Crits wins and second place at the Australian national road race championships had people asking whether the team should have reconsidered its decision to leave him out of the Tour Down Under squad but they firmly backed their plan.

A new contender for the best ever photo finish?

Drapac's Brenton Jones crosses the finish line on his back at the Herald Sun Tour, but claims fifth place because he was technically still attached to his bike.

Dennis, Dekker up next in hour record race.

The race for the hour continues to heat up, with two more attempts on the horizon.

Just days after Jack Bobridge failed in an emotional effort to set a new mark, Rohan Dennis and Thomas Dekker are targeting attempts in the coming weeks.

Up first is Dennis, who will make his attempt Sunday at the Granges velodrome built by his BMC Racing boss Andy Rihs in Switzerland.

Hot off his overall victory at the Santos Tour Down Under, the 24-year-old Australian will be aiming to better the mark set October 30 by Matthias Brändle of 51.852km.

An hour of solitude: Rohan Dennis on "The Hour."

It’s two sleeps now until Rohan Dennis turns himself inside out in pursuit of the UCI World Hour Record. The mark to beat 51.852km, held by Matthias Brandle, cannot be underestimated after Jack Bobridge’s recent near miss.

But there’s little sign of increased anxiety, or nerve from Dennis speaking to him.

Sitting in his hotel room in Grenchen, Dennis is relaxed, seemingly buoyed by confidence after his recent success at the Santos Tour Down Under, and almost unfazed by what’s ahead of him Sunday.

The work has been done, you see, it’s all behind him, and now come only the finishing touches.

News shorts: No Alonso team for 2016.

Impey and Moolman Pasio defend South African titles, Petacchi ill, Bollé teams up with SmartStop.

6 Exercises You're Doing Wrong—and How to Get 'Em Right.

"Cross-training in the off-season can have huge benefits for your riding when spring rolls around—if you do it properly.

You may think you have your off-bike workouts as dialed in as your favorite trainer intervals, so you do squats, pushups, and other staples with no concern over form.

But a few key tweaks will maximize results and have you flying on the road."

Video: We can beat Cavendish, says Eisel.

Say you're sorry, Lance Armstrong.

WADA President Reedie: More governments need to make doping illegal.