Racing for WorldTour points creates chaos where there should be order.

It was hours after stage 4 of the Santos Tour Down Under, and most riders had finished dinner and gone to bed to rest up for the following day’s battle.

Outside the media pressroom, two Katusha riders were poaching the wifi signal and intensely studying the website ProCyclingStats.

They were scouring deep into the day’s results, to see how many, if any, UCI points they had earned.

In professional cycling, the devil is in the details.

In what is one of the sport’s grayest of gray areas, every race is a battle on two dimensions: The first race is for the victory, and the second, for UCI points.

It’s a contradiction that shapes everything that happens inside the broiling, stampeding herd that is the professional peloton.

Q&A: Chris Horner on swapping the WorldTour for Airgas-Safeway.

Chris Horner dropped a bomb on US domestic cycling earlier this year when, after a long and fruitful career in Europe, he signed with the fledgling Continental team Airgas-Safeway for the 2015 season.

The 43-year-old winner of the 2013 Vuelta a España is a father of four - his children are 17, 15, 13 and two months; the youngest was born on Christmas Day last year - and many observers wondered why he would want to return to cycling's third division to compete in races he left behind at least a decade previously.

L'Eroica comes to California with planned April event.

Tuscany’s famed L’Eroica vintage bike ride will be coming to the United States for the first time this spring.

The L’Eroica event requires participants to use bikes built before 1988; many participants use bikes built prior to World War II and dress in vintage styles as well.

The Eroica California will be held April 10-12, with the start and finish in Paso Robles, Calif. The weekend will include a Classic Bike Concours and a Vintage Market.

The California event will be limited to 1,000 riders. There will be three route options, of 43-, 65- or 123 miles. Each route includes sections of gravel roads.

A Day for World Championship Silver Medalists: Van Aert, Cant Win at G.P. Eeklo.

Crashing last weekend with what looked like a painful shoulder injury appears to have little effect on Sanne Cant’s racing performance, who took both wins this weekend, Saturday at Superprestige Middelkerke, and Sunday at G.P. Eeklo.


Cant is out to bookmark her 2014-15 season with a dominating performance in the early season and again at the last month.

Wout van Aert, who was the rider to look out for in 2014, has struggled to find wins under the shadow of Mathieu van der Poel in 2015.

Both of his victories (G.P. Sven Nys and Kasteelcross Zonnebeke) have come when his primary rival wasn’t present at the race.

He was able to buck this trend yesterday at G.P. Eeklo as he stood atop a podium over Kevin Pauwels and U23 World Champion Michael Vanthourenhout.

Cofidis train needs more time, says Bouhanni.

Nacer Bouhanni says his Cofidis team is working hard on getting its sprint train organized as he goes into the Tour of Oman on Tuesday looking for his first win of the season.

The French sprinter admits his new team struggled to get him in the right position to contend with the likes of Alexander Kristoff at the Tour of Qatar last week and reckons it will take a couple of races for Cofidis to get things right.

Bouhanni, who was Cofidis’ marquee signing going into this season, tells L’Équipe he was surprised by the general level of form in Qatar.

“You don’t see anyone toiling any more. You have to be ready, if not you really pay for it,” says the Frenchman, whose third place on the final stage in Qatar was his best result of a season that began with the Challenge Mallorca.

2014-15 Races & Results.

Tour of Oman 2015 - Feb 17-22 (Stages),

Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol - Feb 18-22 (Stages),

Volta ao Algarve - Feb 19-23 (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),

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

Dubai Tour 2015 - Feb 4-7 (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 ...

Criquielion suffers a stroke.

The 1984 world champion Claude Criquielion is in critical condition after suffering a stroke. The 58-year-old Belgian is being treated in a hospital in Aalst.

Criquielion was one of the top racers in the world in the 1980s, winning the road world championships in Barcelona, La Flèche Wallonne twice (1985, 1989), and the Tour of Flanders in 1987.
He was fifth in the Tour de France in 1986.

Tannus launches new Aither 1.1 solid tires.

Tannus Tires is a Korean company and it has just launched the new Aither 1.1 solid tire which it claims only has 2% higher rolling resistance than a regular tire, lasts at least 6,000 miles.

Specifications:

Weights start at 380 grams for the 700c x 23mm model.

One “inflation” rate of 100psi.

Four sizes – 700c x 23 (10 colors), 700c x 28 (black), 700c x 32 (black) and 26″ x 1.75″ (black).

Aither 1.1 – US $185 / £119.80 a pair.

2015 Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista del Sol LIVE.

Wednesday's Vuelta a Andalucia/Ruta del Sol Stage 1b, an 8.2km Individual Time Trial at Coria del Rio, gets underway at 4:30pm CET (10:30am U.S. Eastern) with the departure of the first rider. 

Ruta del Sol live streaming video should get underway at around 4:30pm CET (10:30am U.S. Eastern, 7:30am PST).

2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships LIVE - Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France.

The 2015 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, at Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France, are being held February 18-22. 

There will be live streams.  Details to come.

Cavendish wins the Clasica de Almeria.

Van Aert wins GP Stad Eeklo.

Armstrong to refuse to comply with SCA Promotions award?

The attorneys for SCA Promotions have issued a petition to a Texas district court to confirm the $10 million award decided by an arbitration panel against Lance Armstrong, one that if accepted would compel Armstrong to pay.

In the petition, they write that "Mr. Armstrong has indicated that he will refuse to comply with the Award", but Armstrong's lawyer Tim Herman said in a statement that Armstrong had already offered to pay SCA Promotions the $10 million, but they refused to accept it.

Armstrong loses court case, ordered to pay ten million dollars to SCA Promotions.

In the latest development in a long and bitterly-fought legal battle, Lance Armstrong has been ordered to pay ten million dollars to the SCA Promotions company by a Texas arbitration panel.

The company has confirmed to CyclingTips that the arbitrators’ written ruling has found that Armstrong engaged in “an unparalleled pageant of international perjury, fraud and conspiracy.”

That panel also found that he had “used perjury and other wrongful conduct to secure millions of dollars of benefits” from SCA Promotions, which was the insurance company contracted to cover bonus payments due to him for winning the Tour de France.

Wiggins: I like Nibali but Astana is a disaster.

Bradley Wiggins started his season at the Tour of Qatar where he kicked off his build-up for his final race as a Sky rider at Paris-Roubaix.

Later he will focus on the Hour Record and the track disciplines.

For this, he has created his own team, Team Wiggins. The Brit believes that the sport has taken steps in the "right direction" but admits that there is still more to do. And he doesn’t like the outcome of the Astana discusson.

"Some people should not be in this sport, and we all know the names."

Peter Sagan vs. Alexander Kristoff.

He’s been runner-up this season and a couple of readers have been asking if Sagan is in trouble.

Surely not, he’s only done one race this season and Qatar wasn’t the big goal: fans of Peter Sagan need not worry.

Forecasts can be foolish but let’s predict Peter Sagan is going to win Stage 2 of the Tour of Oman on Wednesday. The finish suits him perfectly with the difficult climb of Al Jissah just before the fast descent to the finish outside the Al Bustan hotel. He’s won here before.

The Gulf races are for training. It’s all about the spring classics campaign but he won’t have it easy. Alexander Kristoff looks set to become his nemesis.

The two were sprinting in Qatar and there paths are going to cross several times between now and Paris-Roubaix.

Nibali plays down chances in Tour of Oman.

Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali arrived for the Tour of Oman at 7:30 local time on Monday slightly under-prepared.

“I tried to train well, but in the last days I had cold weather, rain, a little bit of snow [in Lugano], and I wasn’t able to train in the best way,” the Italian told Cycling Weekly.

“Others who have raced in Argentina, Australia or Qatar, they’ll have an advantage,” he added.

Edvald Boasson Hagen begins a new chapter after Sky.

After five seasons at Team Sky, Edvald Boasson Hagen has now begun a new chapter at team MTN-Qhubeka.

The Norwegian has changed his training regime as well as changing teams, and put on weight under the guidance of his former trainer as he aims for the 2015 Spring Classics.

When asked how many kilograms he has put on, the quiet 27 year old said: “Quite a lot. A few. Hopefully it’s more power. We’ll see. I’m not a climber anyway.

I’ve tried to be more skinny and it doesn’t really work. Now, I’ll try to have more muscles.”

Contador to retire after 2016 season?

Spain’s two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador hinted at retiring after the 2016 season during a Monday press conference.

“After 2016, what I can say for now, is that I don’t see myself racing,” the 32-year-old said.

“This year, I am sure to be there, but next year I can’t guarantee… That may be my last year.”

Contador won the Tour de France in 2007 and 2009, the Giro d’Italia in 2008, and the Vuelta a Espana in 2008, 2012, and 2014.

“It is hard to set a date when you love what you do.

Physically I feel very well but it is true that the years are going by and you have to set a date. I would like to retire on top of a podium,” he said.

New steel could be stronger and lighter than titanium.

A new kind of steel that could topple titanium as the ultimate choice for bike frames has been invented. The team claims it is stronger and as lighter, crucially, could cost one tenth of the price.

Most steels are cheap compared to titanium but they are usually weaker and heavier. On the other hand, titanium is nowhere near as stiff as steel, is expensive to make and can break more easily.

The game-changing new metal is said to combine the best qualities of both steel and titanium without any of the downsides.

So, stronger, light, high end frames could be made at a fraction of the price.

Year Record US contender Kurt Searvogel smashes out biggest day yet.

Kurt 'Tarzan' Searvogel, the American contender in the race to break Tommy Godwin's record for the most miles ridden in a year, gave himself a special Valentine's Day present on Saturday when he logged the longest day of the challengers so far, with a 263-mile ride.

On February 14, Searvogel took part in the Bike Sebring 12-Hour at Florida's Sebring International Raceway, taking just over 12 hours to bring his year-to-date total to 7219.2 miles.

He banged out another 200 the following day and is aiming for the same today.

Cancellara says he is still learning how to be a leader.

Contador ready for season debut at the Ruta del Sol.

Daily Distractions.

PEZ: EuroTrash ‘Cav’ Monday!

Kreuziger’s season starts under cloud of ongoing doping case.

Roman Kreuziger will begin his 2015 season Tuesday in the Tour of Oman despite an upcoming biological passport case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

The six-day Tour of Oman starts at Bayt al Naman Castle. Its lineup contains several top stars, including reigning Tour de France winner Vincenzo Nibali, and sets cyclists up for the remainder of the season.

Already next month, the top WorldTour races continue with Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico.

Kreuziger’s schedule beyond Oman has not yet been announced. Much of his season — and career — will hinge on the result of his biological passport case.

News shorts: Almaty 2022 defends Vinokourov role in Olympic bid.

The vice-chairman of Almaty’s bidding committee for the 2022 Winter Olympics has defended the Kazakhstani city’s use of Astana general manager Alexandre Vinokourov as an ambassador despite his positive test for blood doping in 2007 and the recent spate of positive tests on his team.

The Inside the Games website reports that Andrey Kryukov said that there was no evidence that Vinokourov was currently involved in doping and that his association with the bid was a positive one. "His title is Olympic champion in London," Kryukov said.

The Pro Continental fight for invites to the biggest races.

Once upon a time, on a continent not far away, things were relatively simple.

If you were a French cycling team, you got to ride the Tour de France. If you were a team sponsored by Vivi, Metauro Mobili or Sammontana ice cream, with a budget smaller than a credit card limit, you were still guaranteed a slot in the Giro d’Italia, and the same went for domestic sponsors in Spain.

Teams were looked after in their home countries, rode their national races and Tours and everyone was happy.

However, those less complicated days are long gone. Italian firms sponsored 13 out of the 18 participating teams in the 1983 Giro; 30 years later, only five out of the 23 teams were Italian-registered.

Scott recalls select Vanish EVO helmets.

Scott is recalling select Vanish EVO helmets, the company announced Monday.

The recall includes both the CE (sold mostly in Europe) and CPSC (sold mostly in the U.S.) versions of the helmet. The 2015 Vanish does not comply with CPSC safety standards, and failed the impact test required by CE standards, according to a statement from Scott.

Riders should stop using the helmets immediately. Any helmet covered by the recall will be refunded fully if brought to an official Scott dealer.

Wiggins to attempt Hour in London in June as he and Rapha launch partnership.

Bradley Wiggins will ride the UCI Hour record in London in June.

The venue was announced in a press release from Rapha  revealing details of a global joint venture that will initially see the London-based cycling clothing firm supply the kit for the team being launched by the four-time Olympic champion.

Since 2013, Rapha has supplied Team Sky’s kit, and the 2012 Tour de France winner will ride his final race for them at Paris-Roubaix in April before joining Team Wiggins as he begins his preparations for Rio 2016 where he is aiming to ride the team pursuit.

More London Bike Show 2015 highlights: Beacon, Canyon, Genesis, Guru, Schwalbe and more.

Another batch of shiny new bikes and products from the 2015 London Bike Show.

Lynskey’s Viale’: “Light” Touring.

Loaded with SRAM’s Hydro S series (and Red 10), Zipp’s 30 wheels and Cockpit and Conti Gator Skins, Lynskey’s silver series Viale’ is handled by the same builders as frames costing 2-3 times the price.

So most people know that Lynskey were the Family that created Lightspeed.

Lots of folks know that they’re making their own line of bikes (as well as making a few other brands top end Titanium frames).

What might have escaped you though is the fact that Lynskey decided to produce a line of more affordable bikes that have all the features you would expect from higher-end US Ti producers but are much more affordable as they’re produced in stock sizes and larger production runs.

Tour of Oman 2015 Live Dashboard.

Looks like there will be some live Tour of Oman (February 17-22) video coverage. We'll see whether it is more than just the finish.

Tuesday's Stage 1 starts at 11:30am local (8:30am CET) (2:30am U.S. Eastern).

Finish at around 3:36pm local (12:36pm CET) (6:36am U.S. Eastern).

Live video from (check back) -- local (-- CET) (-- U.S. Eastern).

BH Ultralight EVO review.

BH has been producing its Ultralight frameset for a few years following its unveiling in 2011.

From the outset, BH was intent on producing a very light frameset that was equally stiff. The first iteration weighed around 750g and was actually stiffer than its other road frame design at the time, the G5.

One aspect of the Ultralight that helped BH achieve is design goals was the development of a new bottom bracket standard in collaboration with FSA.

The result, BB386EVO, combined the axle and bearing dimensions of BB30 with the shell width of BB86. The oversized bottom bracket allowed larger, lighter and stiffer tubing profiles to be used when compared to other bottom bracket standards.

Video: Mollema and Stybar dodge car in Vuelta a Murcia sprint.