Terpstra dominates the time trial.

Niki Terpstra combined his excellent form and time trial skills to easily beat bigger-name favorites Fabian Cancellara and Bradley Wiggins in the 10.9km individual time trial at the Tour of Qatar.

Terpstra set a time of 14:03 on the out and back course affected by strong winds, beating Cancellara by eight seconds and Wiggins by nine seconds. Maciej Bodnar finished fourth and Ian Stannard was fifth, both in a time of 14:13.

Cancellara surprised by Terpstra's dominance.

It was being touted as the battle between Bradley Wiggins and Fabian Cancellara, but in the end Niki Terpstra bettered all to win the 10-kilometer time trial, and with it take the overall lead.

Cancellara finished in second place, eight seconds behind Terpstra, while Wiggins rounded out the top three, just a shade over one second off Cancellara’s pace.

"It was still a little bit of a surprising gap, actually. That is almost one second per kilometer. But in the end, that’s racing; that’s the time trial. I did my best, I gave all I could, and when I do that I can say I am happy.”

Rowe aims to take on Etixx-QuickStep in Tour of Qatar.

After a solid ride on stage 3 of the Tour of Qatar Luke Rowe has moved into the white jersey as the best young rider but the Team Sky rider has greater ambitions in the race and believes that he and his team can take on Etixx-Quickstep and end the team’s dominance in the race.

Rowe finished the 10.9 kilometer time trial in 11th place, 31 seconds down on stage winner and new race leader Niki Terpstra of Etixx-QuickStep.

Ian Stannard had a strong performance for Team Sky too and he now sits third in the overall, twelve seconds off Terpstra's lead, with Rowe in 5th, 33 seconds down.

2014-15 Races & Results.

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

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),

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

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

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

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Tour of Qatar 2015 Live Dashboard.

Wednesday's Tour of Qatar Stage 4 departs Al Thakhira at 12:40pm local (10:40am CET, 4:40am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Mesaieed at around 4:31pm local (2:31pm CET, 8:31am U.S. Eastern). 

Tour of Qatar live video streaming is expected to begin at around 3:30pm local (1:30pm CET, 7:30am U.S. Eastern. 4:30am PST).

Japanese National Champion Ayako Toyooka Takes 2015 Cyclocross Tokyo Day Two.

It was an exciting showdown between the current Japanese national champion, Ayako Toyooka, and the 2013 champion, Sakiko Miyauchi.

After a few smart choices between her and her pit crew, Toyooka pulled off a tricky pass in the final sand section and finished ahead of Miyauchi for a last minute win.

The way the race played out between the two Japanese national champions was actually very similar to the year before. One big difference, however, is that in 2014 they had had three very strong Americans to mix it up with: Katie Compton, Wendy Simms and Lyne Bessette.

End of the road for Mark Cavendish’s Olympic track hopes, says Sutton.

Shane Sutton is not holding out any hope of Mark Cavendish returning to the track for next year’s Olympic Games, with the Manxman seemingly having made up his mind to focus fully on the road.

British Cycling’s technical director said that Cavendish had been seriously mulling over a shot at making the Rio 2016 track team.

“He is one of those born with the gift. He can do anything technically, he has been world champion on the track and the greatest road sprinter of all time. But unfortunately I think it is the end of the road for Cav. I think he has made his decision not to entertain it.

Peraud admits to poor form ahead of season debut.

Jean-Christophe Péraud admits the media attention that came with being the best Frenchman in the Tour de France in more than a decade has cost him.

In an interview released by his team Tuesday, the veteran Frenchman said media obligations over the winter have left him short of form coming into his 2015 season debut.

“My winter training was not perfect. Because of my second place in Le Tour, I have been busier with some media. I also had two minor surgeries,” Péraud said. “I am not in top shape.”

Second overall in last year’s Tour, Péraud makes his 2015 season debut at the Clásica de Almería on Sunday before racing the five-day Ruta del Sol next week in southern Spain.

Blythe thriving with Orica-GreenEdge.

After two top ten finishes in the opening two days of the Tour of Qatar, Adam Blythe could be forgiven for putting any of his pre-race nerves to one side.

The race marks Blythe's first event for a WorldTour team since he left BMC at the end of 2013 but the GreenEdge sprinter has hit the ground running on his return to the top of the sport with 7th place in two sprint finishes.

Last season the 25-year-old was forced to drop from the WorldTour and ride for the NFTO domestic squad in the United Kingdom.

The signing was certainly a coup for the team but it was also a backward step for Blythe, who has impressed in a number of the Classics in previous years.

Kristoff rides into Tour of Qatar lead with stage 2 win.

Time running out on Operación Puerto blood bags.

A laboratory in Barcelona still holds 211 bags of blood and plasma, the frozen remnants of the Operación Puerto investigation into the doping ring of Eufemiano Fuentes.

But the evidence against dozens of unnamed athletes hangs in the balance as a Spanish judge's order to destroy the material is merely delayed by appeals.

Meanwhile, guilty riders continue to compete without punishment, and potentially innocent athletes named early in the reports of the operation have been unable to clear their names and have seen their careers destroyed.

News Shorts: Fuentes entangled in Swiss banking scandal.

Spanish TV signs two-year deal for live Giro coverage, changes for E3 Harelbeke and Kuurne Brussel Kuurne.

The Tour de France’s TV Guarantee.

There’s been talk that the Tour de France could be up for sale, various journalists have published pieces saying the Amaury family have held discussions with potential buyers, often concluding that a sale seems unlikely.

The Tour de France is a very valuable asset but not the money-spinner some might take it for.

A little-known government decree prevents the owners from maxxing out on the TV rights.

However the changing media landscape could see the race become more valuable as more channels hunt for an audience.

The decree is the “Décret n°2004-1392 du 22 décembre 2004” and enshrines in the law the requirement for the Tour de France to be screened on a TV channel that is free-to-air.

LeMond: Quintana will be Froome’s biggest Tour de France rival.

Chris Froome will have his work cut out to win the Tour de France, according to Greg LeMond, but the American says Froome will still go into the race as the favorite.

LeMond, who became the first non-European winner of the Tour in 1986, told the Telegraph’s Oliver Pickup that Colombian Nairo Quintana will be Froome’s main challenger on a route which contains 11 mountain stages.

“Well Froome is obviously going to be favorite for the Tour de France, after winning the 2013 edition, and he will be keen to make amends after crashing out last year,” he said.

“And I think Spaniard Alberto Contador, even though he is 32, will still be in with a shout.

Wiggins: ‘No rainbow curse’.

Bradley Wiggins’ debut ride in the world champion’s rainbow jersey Tuesday was without a win, but team Sky’s ‘Sir’ has other opportunities after the Tour of Qatar.

“Yeah, of course, it’s a dream [to win in the rainbow jersey], but there’s still a process with time trialling, whether you’re world champion or not,” Wiggins said next to the Lusail Moto GP race track.

“I’ve got Paris-Nice, and I think De Panne, so there’s a few more opportunities yet before you start writing about the curse of the rainbow jersey.

Wiggins rode 14:12 over 10.9 kilometers in Lusail City north of Doha. He knocked former world hour record holder, Matthias Brändle off the top spot, but could not top Fabian Cancellara and Niki Terpstra.

Ulissi to ride the Tour of the Basque Country after Salbutamol ban.

The Lampre-Merida team has announced that Diego Ulissi will return to racing at the Tour of the Basque Country in early April before riding the Ardennes Classics, the Tour de Romandie and the Giro d'Italia.

The Italian rider was banned for ninth months by the Swiss Olympic Committee after testing positive for the banned substance Salbutamol during the 2014 Giro d'Italia.

His ban ends on March 28, with the Tour of the Basque Country begins on April 6.

World championship sprint rivalries a matter of Grace.

Coach Justin Grace may have mixed emotions when the sprinters line up to fight for the rainbow jersey at the UCI Track World Championships in Paris next week.

The New Zealander, a former masters world champion himself, is the British Cycling sprint coach, a position that came by way of roles with the New Zealand and French cycling federations.

Grace was the mastermind behind the New Zealand sprint program that went from zero to hero in a few short years.

What it took to win the Jayco Herald Sun Tour.

WorldTour rider Cameron Meyer of Orica-GreenEdge is the latest victor of Australia's longest running cycling stage race – the 62nd edition of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour.

He joins Stuart O'Grady and Simon Gerrans in the exclusive club of riders who've won both this race and the Tour Down Under.

So what did it take the multiple-times track world champion to win this year's Jayco Herald Sun Tour?

Well, Meyer's coach, Ben Day of DaybyDay Coaching, has sent BikeRadar the 27-year-old's SRM power files from the decisive stages one and four for review.

Here we get a glimpse of the power numbers WorldTour riders produce.

Hour Record finale was journey into unknown for Dennis.

Daily Distractions.

Wednesday Legs: Bucket List.

Greg LeMond: 'Cycling needed Lance Armstrong's fall'.

"It was really difficult for the pro-cyclists in the last decade, and leading up to Armstrong’s revelation – every question was like an investigation.

Had they doped, did they know people who had? I had to avoid being around for years because the first question for me was always about doping.

I didn’t like the way Armstrong extorted people – no other cyclist had ever done that. Riders were caught up in his system. Because of my stance I was constantly linked with Armstrong, and was basically threatened with a $20 million lawsuit, so I had to keep quiet.

I originally thought: “Screw it, I’m not going to be imprisoned and blackmailed and extorted.” But I did, I got shut up for six years … money talks."

CIRC report due within weeks.

The highly anticipated report from the UCI’s review of the EPO era is on track to be released within the coming weeks.

UCI officials confirmed to VeloNews that the Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) will deliver its report by “early in March at the latest,” if not by late February as scheduled.

Officials also confirmed the UCI would “publish the report in full” soon after an official announcement.

They have also said there will no interviews or public comment before the official release of the report, but speculation is growing about just what the CIRC report will reveal.

Neo-Pros You Need To Know.

A new season brings some new faces to the Pro peloton, so Gordan Cameron has had a look at the form of the 2015 neo-pros and puts together his list of ‘Top Ten’ men to watch.

The first year for a professional can be a steep learning curve, but these guys could be on the podium sooner than most.

It’s a complete lottery, trying to make it to the top level in sport.

The biggest, toughest, fastest strongest, most talented … sometimes it just doesn’t work out for them.

You also need guts, tenacity, luck, the right breaks. So how do you sift the ‘likely’ successes from the ‘maybes’?
..

Movistar bets on its youth movement to fill void at top of Spanish peloton.

Spain’s dominance across the international peloton is on borrowed time. Riders such as Alberto Contador, Alejandro Valverde, Samuel Sánchez, and Joaquim Rodríguez are all well into their 30s, and each promises not to overstay his welcome.

Between the “cuatro galácticos,” they’ve won grand tours, one-day classics, and Olympic medals, and notched world championship podiums.

Thanks to their reliability, Spain has enjoyed an incredible ride over the past decade..

Guardini returns to Tour de Langkawi with Astana.

Andrea Guardini will headline the Astana team for his fifth appearance at the Tour de Langkawi with the aim of adding to his record 14 stage wins.

The Italian sprinter won five stages on his debut at the race in 2011 then went one better to claim six wins in 2012.

The 25-year-old has won at least won stage on each occasion he has entered the race and while he is yet to open his 2015 account, Guardini came close at the Dubai Tour.

Five ways to breathe life into your old bike.

Getting a new bike can certainly boost motivation, and there’s certainly a ‘kid in a candy shop’ feeling about heading into a bike shop and seeing the beautiful machines on display.

But making the most of your miles in the saddle, be it while training in winter or enjoying the longer hours at your disposal in summer, does not have to make a dent in your wallet.

While routine maintenance should never be overlooked, often a little extra TLC can go a long way in giving your loyal steed a new lease of life when it’s looking a little tired and in need of a recovery day.

Turn Any Bike into an E-Bike.

For utility purposes, an e-bike offers an attractive set of features. Because you can ride farther, faster, with less effort, they’re great for commuting, especially in situations where arriving to the office sweaty is not an option.

They also make replacing car trips more viable for a variety of errands, since with a power assist you can haul heavy items more easily.

E-bike technology is progressing rapidly. Smaller, lighter batteries and motors still produce impressive power, while refined drivetrain systems like pedal assist integrate the motor’s power with your own far more smoothly than traditional throttle-based systems.

Marin recalls kids’ bikes due to handlebars.

Marin Mountain Bikes is recalling 450 kids’ bikes because the handlebars can loosen or separate.

The recall involves Marin 2014 MBX 50 and Tiny Trail boys and girls bikes with 16-inch knobby tires.

On its website Marin said a limited number of handlebar stems on these models are out of manufacturing tolerance. “In an abundance of caution, we have initiated a recall with the CPSC.”