Kristoff strikes again in Mesaieed.

In the absence of cross winds, attacks and echelons, the sprinters dominated the fourth stage of the Tour of Qatar with Alexander Kristoff taking his second stage win at this year's race with a perfectly timed surge to the line.

Kristoff beat Peter Sagan and Nkilas Arndt third, Adam Blythe fourth, with the other sprinters filling out the top ten.

Race leader Niki Terpstra finished safely in the peloton and so kept his gold leader's jersey.

Crashes won’t derail IAM Cycling at Tour of Qatar.

Crashes may have brought five of their squad to the sandy tarmac on stage four, but IAM Cycling remain confident of finishing the Tour of Qatar relatively unscathed.

Organizers were clearly worried about the wind, and the possibility of sandstorms, bringing the start time forward by over an hour, but the conditions were still hairy enough to bring a few jitters to the peloton.

IAM’s Australian national champion Heinrich Haussler was one of the riders to crash in the final stages, but recovered to finish sixth behind Alexander Kristoff in the final sprint.

Tour of Qatar news shorts: Sagan comes up short, Sky loses ground.

Venter in the stage 4 break, Bardiani-CSF mixes it up in the sprint.

Sagan close to notching up first win with Tinkoff-Saxo, Bodnar inches closer to Qatar race lead.

Under pressure to deliver on his potential and notch up what his team owner Oleg Tinkov has laid out as a goal, namely two or more Classics, Peter Sagan went close to taking his first victory with the Tinkoff-Saxo team on Wednesday.

The Slovakian rider finished just behind Katusha’s sprinter Alexander Kristoff at the end of the fourth stage, coming out of his rival’s slipstream but running out of road. He lost out by approximately a wheel.

Sagan was earlier fourth on stages one and two, with the flurry of results coming in what is his first race of the season.

Lampre GM: ‘We have full confidence in Ulissi’.

Diego Ulissi returns to racing in April following a controversial case that saw him escape a possible two-year ban after testing positive for nearly double the allowed limit for Salbutamol last year.

The Swiss cycling federation ruled that Ulissi was negligent in use of Ventolin during last year’s Giro d’Italia, but stopped short of calling it outright doping.

Ulissi was allowed to use an inhaler to treat asthma during the race.

That was a critically important distinction for the 25-year-old Italian, who lives in Lugano, Switzerland.

With the full backing of his team, Ulissi is scheduled to return to the Vuelta al País Vasco (Tour of the Basque Country) in April, just days after the conclusion of his backdated, nine-month ban.

Matteo Trentin: learning from the best at Etixx-QuickStep.

With stars like Mark Cavendish, Tom Boonen and Niki Terpstra, followers of the Etixx-QuickStep team rarely notice Matteo Trentin unless he wins a stage of the Tour de France – which has done in the last two editions.

Despite racing often as a helper in the Belgian WorldTour outfit, he explained that he is happy in the squad.

“It’s a contract year for me, but I want to stay with the team,” the Italian told Cycling Weekly. “I like it. It’s one of the best classics teams and I like the classics, I want to improve, so this is the place for me.”

Geraint Thomas: ‘Strength in numbers is key’ for classics.

Each spring, the long black and blue train that pulled Sky to two successive Tour de France victories has cracked, crumbled, and ultimately evaporated, smashed into Northern Europe’s cobbles like so much fine china.

An undeniable and impressive ability to control stage races has rarely transferred to the chaos of the classics.

Ian Stannard’s win at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad last year marks the team’s foremost classics victory. It stands in stark contrast to success elsewhere.

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).

More ...

Tour of Qatar 2015 Live Dashboard.

Stage 5 start time: Thursday 13:00 AST (2:00 AM PST);

Earliest live video: 15:15 AST (4:15 AM PST);

Estimated finish: 16:29 AST (5:29 AM PST).

Busche recovering from scaphoid fracture after surgery.

Trek Factory Racing’s Matthew Busche is sidelined with an injury after a crash on January 31 at the Mallorca Challenge’s Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana.

Busche, 29, injured his left hand in a crash, and the diagnosis was a scaphoid fracture of the wrist.

He underwent surgery last Friday in Basel, Switzerland. Doctors administered a screw and bone transplant to address the fracture, and he will be in a cast for six weeks.

“Well this isn’t exactly the start to 2015 that I was hoping for: 2 broken bones in my hand. I’ll be back though!” Busche tweeted after the crash.

Interview: Sergio Escutia.

"Athlete Sergio Escutia joined the KHS-Maxxis-JLVelo team for half of the 2014 season and has begun his first official season with the team.

He and the team raced their second criterium of the year in Brea, CA and we were able to sit down with him and ask him a few questions about the season and how the race played out."

Terpstra dominates the time trial.

Cancellara surprised by Terpstra's dominance.

Schleck takes up Trek role, preserves his link with the sport .

Four months after he announced his retirement from the sport, the first mechanism of Andy Schleck’s declared intention to remain in cycling has been made more clear with a company linked to his final team announcing a new role for him.

Trek Travel, an offshoot of the Trek bicycle company, has said that Schleck will be joining up with it on a number of cycling vacations in 2015.

The former pro rider has inked an agreement to ride on the Etape du Tour trip in July plus the Mallorca Ride Camp in May.

The Changing Man: Through the years with Bradley Wiggins.

In just a matter of months Bradley Wiggins will hang up his jersey at Team Sky and start a new chapter of his career at his WIGGINS squad.

The 2012 Tour de France winner's career has spanned over a decade and seen him ride for the likes of FDJ, Cofidis and Garmin. At the Tour of Qatar, Wiggins sat down with Cyclingnews to share his personal experiences from each squad.

From Jacky Durand going MIA the night before Het Volk; the secret meet with Dave Brailsford at the Tour in 2009; the Garmin party bus, and the story behind his non-participation at the Tour last year.

Cancellara indicates retirement is approaching, says he’s enjoying the sport 100 times more than three years ago.

Having suggested in the past that he is likely to retire after the end of the 2016 season, Fabian Cancellara has once again stated that his career is inching towards a conclusion.

Speaking to Sporza, the Swiss Trek Factory Racing rider said that he can feel his age on the bike but does what he can to retain an edge on his younger rivals.

“You try to somehow turn back time. I now enjoy it much more. As much as 100 times more than three years ago,” he said, referring to the sport. “I have more fun, but I feel even more that I have an appointment with history.

Sarah Storey nominated for Laureus sports award.

Sarah Storey has been nominated for the Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability Award after a standout 2014 season.

Storey’s dominant career was put on hold in 2013 as she gave birth to her daughter Louisa in June that year, but she returned to win four world titles across road and track last year.

With the para-cycling world championships coming up at the end of March in Apeldoorn, Storey will prepare for her title defences with a crack at the women’s Hour Record in London on February 28.
..

Women's news shorts: Boels-Dolmans look ahead to European season after Qatar victory.

Alé-Cipollini surprise in Qatar, Women's Tour host cities, Moolman wins South African titles, Cant and Van Loy in cyclo-cross.

Chad Haga: Danger .

"I worked for two summers as an engineering intern, so I feel qualified to say that the corporate world lacks any imminent sense of danger.

My workplace today, however, offers danger at every moment from a wide range of sources.

To keep coming back day after day may indicate that something is wrong with me.

While I’ve proven myself to be good at pedaling, I have also developed the well-practiced skills of risk mitigation and denial of statistical probabilities."

Talk: Ian Field.

As the 2014/15 cyclo-cross season is about to wind up, Ed Hood quizzes the British National cyclo-cross champion, Ian Field, on his season and the state of the muddy winter sport.

This past season has been one of the best with the emergence of a new young guard and Ian gives us the inside line on everything cross.

There was a seismic shift in the ‘cross world last weekend in Tabor as the ‘new wave’ of riders swept the board at the UCi Elite World Cyclo-Cross Championships; the precocious Dutchman with the best possible genes – Adrie van der Poel as his dad and Raymond Poulidor as his granddad – Mathieu van der Poel took gold from Belgiums’s Wout Van Aert with another man from the land of polders, Laars van der Haar in third spot.

The gold and silver medal winners could both have ridden the under-23 race while van der Haar is only one year out of that category.

Visiting Valentina.

"When my former boss signed off on my attendance at Milan-Sanremo and a team training camp last March, I reached out to Valentina Scandolara to see if I might be able to head out to Italy a day or two early and spend some time with her family in Tregnago.

My bucket list included “visiting riders on their home turf” and I considered this the perfect opportunity to tick the first box encompassed in that goal.'

Matt Prior looking to build a strong future with One Pro Cycling.

One Pro Cycling made their racing debut last weekend with a commanding performance at the Perfs Pedal Race, taking all three podium spots and with all but one of their riders finishing in the top 10.

Team owner Matt Prior was in attendance at the Hampshire race, which is now a traditional opener to the domestic racing season, to see his team make it’s first move into racing. And while the England international cricketer was pleased with his team’s performance which saw Yanto Barker take the victory, he realises it’s a small step on the way to long-term success.

The £33,000 picnic basket that comes with bike attached.

Moynat is a Parisian trunk-maker which has been producing exclusive bags and boxes since 1849. It’s therefore no surprise that most of the bike’s value in fact lies in the basket in front of the handlebars.

Actually, to call it a basket is a little unfair. Moynat prefers the term “picnic trunk”, and it comes complete with white ceramic plates, silverware, and napkins, while small drawers and compartments provide the perfect storage space for a couple of small jars of caviar or paté, for example.

Time running out on Operación Puerto blood bags.

Daily Distractions.

Ted King: From Early Morning til Late at Night.

USADA chief Tygart rejects Armstrong ‘witch hunt’ claim.

The U.S. anti-doping chief Wednesday dismissed accusations of a “witch hunt” against Lance Armstrong and said he was delighted with reforms aimed at cleaning up cycling.

Travis Tygart, chief executive of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), hit back at comments from former UCI president Pat McQuaid.

“It is easy for Pat McQuaid or others to say soundbites like he said,” Tygart told reporters at the sidelines of an anti-doping intelligence seminar in Singapore.

“[But] the evidence is telling. There have been roughly 26 athletes, coaches, team doctors who have been held accountable. Several of them have gotten lifetime bans as well.”

Marcel Kittel ‘not satisfied’ that Astana were granted a WorldTour license.

German sprinter Marcel Kittel remains sour over the UCI granting team Astana a WorldTeam licence despite its recent doping cases.

Cycling’s governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), renewed Astana’s WorldTeam license in December after an extended review. With the license, the team in turquoise that includes 2014 Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali, is able to take part in all the top races automatically.

“It’s a very unfortunate situation for everyone and definitely not satisfying how things went,” team Giant-Alpecin’s Kittel said when asked about his comments on team Astana in December.

Tinkov hints at something big - but what could it be?

Notoriously eccentric Russian billionaire Oleg Tinkov has resorted to the classic, I’ve got some big news but don’t want to tell you what it is to make you think it’s even bigger than it is, but it’s still probably quite big, PR move, and while we at Cycling Central could pretend to ignore it and move on with our lives - let’s face it, he’s got us hook line and sinker.

And it got us thinking, seriously, what it could it be? This guy is known for his bigger than Ben Hur gestures so when he promises something big, it’s got to be big, right?

Kittel to skip Milan-San Remo.

Marcel Kittel has revealed that he will not ride Milan-San Remo but will get a taste of cobbles at Paris-Roubaix and is set to go head to head with Mark Cavendish in the sprints at Tirreno-Adriatico.

The German showed was the fastest sprinter in the peloton in 2014, winning 13 races, including four stages at the Tour de France. He won the criterium before the Tour Down Under but did not win a stage in Australia and has yet to fight for victory in the Tour of Qatar after struggling in the echelons.

Ian Stannard returns to top form after fracturing spine last year.

Sky’s Ian Stannard is back on track for the classics after a 2014 season derailed by crashes, one which broke his back.

The Englishman made it into the winning moves in the Tour of Qatar, placed fifth in yesterday’s time trial and moved to third overall.

“I missed a hell of a lot of training and racing, I don’t know the precise amount,” Stannard told Cycling Weekly.

“It’s been hard getting the racing legs, I’ve started early in the Tour Down Under though and it’s coming on well now.”

Velo introduces new saddle selection system.

Velo Enterprise Co has introduced a new saddle selection system to help consumers navigate the growing number of saddle categories and offerings produced by the company, which claims to be the world's largest manufacturer of saddles for sale.

The selection system takes into account type of bike; frequency of riding; speed; skill; and distance.

Each of these is ranked on a scale of 1-5, with the results averaged to produce a number that correlates to saddle category assignments within the Velo line.

Chicchi signs with Androni Giocattoli.

The Androni Giocattoli team of Gianni Savio announced today the arrival of Italian sprinter Francesco Chicchi to the squad. The 34-year-old signed for one year.

Chicchi, a former U23 world champion, spent the last two seasons with the Vini Fantini team, during which he scored a handful of victories in races like the Vuelta a Venezuela and Tour de Langkawi.

Prior to that he enjoyed wins in Nokere Koerse, Tour of Qatar, Tour of California and Tour Down Under during his time in the WorldTour with Liquigas and QuickStep.

Dan Martin: I’m humbled that people have confidence in me.

The former Festina trainer Antoine Vayer has never been shy of a sweeping statement in his second life as a media pundit, nor has he ever made any secret of his admiration for Dan Martin.

Just this week, in fact, he told the Be-Celt website that he hopes the Irishman wins the 2015 Tour de France because “he is the best of the pure ones.”

In the 1990s, for instance, such a reputation did few favors for Martin’s fellow Tour of Lombardy winner Gilles Delion, who took a vocal stance on doping at a time when it was neither popular nor profitable to do so, and retired disillusioned at just 30 years of age.

Specialized Introduces Custom Program.

In response to dealer requests, Specialized is offering a custom program called S-Build—the first of its kind from the California-based brand.

S-Works Tarmac, Tarmac Disc, Epic and Epic WC framesets will be offered in various custom color schemes.

The color schemes are the brainchild of in-house Specialized designer Ron Jones and carry names such as Mean and Lean.

Select components can also be chosen for the build. Unlike some custom programs that can be done online, S-Build can only be experienced one-on-one with the dealer.

For now, the S-Build program is available through any S-Works level Specialized dealer in the USA.

Trek Silque SLX.

The promise of the Silque: stability and comfort without compromising speed and snap.

A key contributor to the Silque's smooth ride is Trek's IsoSpeed decoupler, a joint that allows the seat tube to move independently from the top tube—acting like a suspension system to quiet road noise.

The Silque replaced Trek's endurance-minded women's Domane, which was discontinued for 2015.

In terms of fit, the Silque has the same stack and reach as the outgoing Domane of the same size. But the company also gave the Silque shorter chainstays and a higher bottom bracket, in an effort to make the handling more lively.

Wednesday Legs: Bucket List.