Tour of Oman: Cancellara wins stage 2.

Fabian Cancellara claimed stage 2 of the Tour of Oman from Al Hazm Castle to Al Bustan, in a close sprint ahead of Alejandro Valverde and Greg Van Avermaet on Wednesday.

It was the first win of the season for the Trek Factory Racing leader on a day that saw him divest previous race leader Andrea Guardini of the red jersey.

Volta ao Algarve: Meersman wins in Albufeira.

Gianni Meersman won the opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve.

The Belgian edged Ben Swift for his second win of the season after a victory in the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in January. Paul Martens was third.

Meersman dons the first leader's jersey of the race for his efforts.

It's the 10th win of the year for Etixx-Quickstep, following on the success of Niki Terpstra in Tour of Qatar, and Mark Cavendish in Dubai.

Geraint Thomas, Ben Swift and Andy Fenn in Tour of the Algarve.

Team Sky fields British trio Geraint Thomas, Ben Swift and Andy Fenn in the 2015 Volta ao Algarve, starting today (Wednesday February 18) in Portugal.

Sky is backing team leader Richie Porte, who won the race in 2012. Porte has already claimed the Australian time trial title and the key climbers’ stage of the Tour Down Under so looks in good shape to tackle the five-stage Volta ao Algarve, which includes a 19-kilometer time trial on Friday.

2014-15 Races & Results.

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

Vuelta a Andalucia - Feb 18-22 (Stages & Results),

Women's Tour of New Zealand - Feb 18-22 (Stages & Results),

UCI Track World Championships - Feb 18-22 (Stages & Results),

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),

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 ...

Women's news shorts: Canadians aim for team pursuit medal at Worlds, Cant wins final Superprestige.

The Canadian women’s team pursuit squad arrived in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France, for the start of the UCI Track World Championships on Wednesday with hopes of winning a medal. In the qualifying round, the team placed third fastest, earning them a chance to race for the medals in the first and final rounds.

The team includes Jasmin Glaesser, Stephanie Roorda, Kirsty Lay, Alison Beveridge and Annie Foreman-MacKey. Glaesser will also race in the individual pursuit and Beveridge will also compete in the scratch race.

Also, USA women start Tour of New Zealand with a win; Kitchen wins Garfoot Oceania Continental Championships; more...

Tour of Oman 2015 Live Dashboard.

Thursday's Tour of Oman Stage 3 departs Al Mussanah Sports City at 11:40am local (8:40am CET, 2:40am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Al Mussanah Sports City at around 3:31pm local (12:31pm CET, 6:31am U.S. Eastern).

Tour of Oman live video streaming is possible.

Tire Pressure: Data and Details.

"A little while ago, I wrote about how new scientific research has allowed us to design wide, supple tires that offer the speed of narrow, high-end racing tires.

The key finding is that above a certain threshold, increasing tire pressure no longer results in lower rolling resistance.

For most riders, the take-home message is simply this: As long as you inflate your tires enough that they are safe to ride, tire pressure doesn’t matter much.

Find a pressure that feels good when cornering, and ride your tires at that pressure. When in doubt, let out some air – you’ll be more comfortable and have better cornering grip. (If you ride narrow tires, beware of pinch flats, though!)."

Specialized Power prototype (road?) saddle spotted.

This shortened saddle seems to offer similar design aspects to the increasingly popular ISM saddle brand, which first took off within the triathlon market.

This isn’t a first for Specialized – the triathlon-specific Sitero already uses a similar approach.

If we’d seen this saddle off the bike, we would have assumed it was a triathlon model.

However, given it's been put to use in a WorldTour road environment, it does seem set for the general road market.

Selle Royal uses new memory foam technology in new saddles.

Selle Royal is introducing two new saddles this season that are padded with Slow Fit Foam, a memory foam with slow recovery properties that molds to the rider's body.

The company says the visco-elastic material improves weight distribution, handling shocks and vibrations better than traditional foam padding while increasing blood circulation and promoting pressure relief for immediate comfort.

The Slow Fit Foam is combined with a specific foam matrix to create the right kind of support for riding. Selle Royal developed the material with its sister company,  Technogel, a maker of high-end mattresses and pillows.

Best new bikes from the London Bike Show (part 2).

We first saw the new Ritte Ace at Core Bike last month, but took the opportunity to get a bit more up close and personal with the new model. In terms of design there’s nothing outlandish about the Ace.

The frame has a classical look about it, with boxy but rounded tube shapes finished with neat internal cable routing that creates one of the best looking bikes we’ve seen in a while.

Guardini strikes first at the Tour of Oman.

Mistake costs Boonen Tour of Oman stage victory.

Moreno takes surprise win in Andalusia time trial.

Javier Moreno became a hugely surprising winner of the short 8.2km time trial that was held in the afternoon after the crash-marred opener in the Vuelta a Andalucia.

Riding on home soil, he covered the technical course in a time of 9.51 which was 2 seconds faster than Wilco Kelderman and 4 seconds faster than Jerome Coppel while Alberto Contador finished fourth and took the overall lead.

USA wins Women's Tour of New Zealand's team time trial opener.

The US national team won the opening team time trial at the UCI Women's Tour of New Zealand on Wednesday in Masterton.

They won the 15km event in 18:49, beating Australia and Team TIbco-SVB.

American rider Megan Guarnier took the first leader's jersey heading into stage 2's 125km road race also in Masterton.

Ligthart wins Vuelta a Andalucia opener.

Pim Ligthart emerged from a crash-marred finale to claim victory on the opening split stage of the Vuelta a Andalucia and take the overall lead ahead of the afternoon time trial.

The consensus beforehand was that John Degenkolb would be the man to beat on the slightly uphill finishing straight but Ligthart had the nous to take advantage of the confusion in the closing two kilometers in Hinojos.

Vuelta a Andalucia – Ruta Del Sol Preview.

The Ruta del Sol starts today with the added interest of Alberto Contador and Chris Froome. Between now and Sunday the race has it all with sprint stages, a time trial and two summit finishes.

Plus it’s live on TV.

Each day there will be a quick snap preview for the stage ahead.

Today you get two because it’s a split stage with a sprint stage in the morning and a time trial later on.

Degenkolb: Vuelta a Andalucia’s tough format suits me.

Following his strong win in the uphill finish at the Tour of Dubai, John Degenkolb is aiming to kick off his 2015 European stage racing season with a bang at the Vuelta a Andalucia, with his eye firmly fixed on today’s (Wednesday’s) stage and this morning’s short, flat first sector.

Degenkolb is one of the favorites for the 118.3km opening sector of stage one from La Rábida to Hinojos in the flatlands of western Andalucia, together with Tyler Farrar and Juan Jose Lobato.

Roche: Don’t write Peter Sagan off yet.

Stephen Roche doesn’t believe it is time to write off Peter Sagan just yet, despite the Slovak’s winless start to the season, but doesn’t expect him to win many bunch sprints this year.

Writing in his skysports.com blog, the Irishman says Sagan can’t match the likes of Mark Cavendish, Marcel Kittel or Alexander Kristoff – who won three stages at the Tour of Qatar – in terms of pure speed.

But the 1987 world champion also cites Sagan’s lack of lead-out as an issue for the three-time Tour de France green jersey winner, with his team more focussed on GC success.

Wout Poels ready to be key support for Froome at Tour de France.

Team Sky’s Chris Froome is positioning Wout Poels to become his Tour de France mountain helper, starting with an intimate South African altitude training camp where monkeys attacked their base.

The animals entered the lodging of the 2013 Tour de France winner and his new Dutch team-mate, overturned the rooms and ran away with energy gels and food.

“They’re running everywhere and you have to be careful,” Poels told Cycling Weekly.

“We had a gate in front of the door, but they found a way in. I think someone left a window open.

“When we got back, it was a big mess. All the energy gels were gone, the bananas and everything.”

Common sense rules for modern road riding.

Many people are aware of - and often pay far too much attention to - certain rules that surround road riding.

With our blend of scientific research and common-sense advice, you can enjoy riding and get the most out of your events, training, and nutrition.

Ever questioned the wisdom of your riding pals, or suspected they were just regurgitating hand-me-down advice?

Ever wondered if the truisms of road riding really do hold water in the 21st century?

Our new rules of road riding are one part science, one part considered opinion, but 100 per cent applicable to every ride you do.

2015 Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista del Sol LIVE.

Thursday's Vuelta a Andalucia/Ruta del Sol Stage 2 departs Utrera at 11:00am CET (5:00am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Lucena at around 3:33pm CET (9:33am U.S. Eastern).

Ruta del Sol live streaming video should get underway at around 1:30pm CET (7:30am U.S. Eastern, 4:30am Pacific).

2015 Trofeo Laigueglia LIVE.

The Trofeo Laigueglia is Thursday - thre race starts at 11:00am CET (5:00am U.S. Eastern).

Finish at around 3:40pm CET (9:40am U.S. Eastern).

Live video from 2:40pm CET (8:40am U.S. Eastern, 5:40am Pacific).

Lance Armstrong’s Ugly Detour From Road to Redemption.

When Does The Season Start?

Evans in top 50 highest paid Australian sportspeople list.

Reporter’s notebook: Why race in the desert?

Daily Distractions.

Lance Armstrong's lies carry a steep, and rising, price.

Not long after Lance Armstrong's unprecedented seven Tour de France titles were stripped in 2012, the cyclist tweeted a defiant photo.

Armstrong reclined on a couch in a dimly lighted room, appearing unworried about the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency's exhaustive report that accused him of cheating by taking performance-enhancing drugs to fuel his history-making feats.

The framed yellow jerseys from his Tour de France wins hung on the wall behind him.

The message was clear: The punishment didn't faze Armstrong.

Lee’s Lowdown: Ego, a necessary evil?

American bronze and a sprint controversy mark track worlds opener.

An American medal in the 25km women’s points race and a reversal of the men’s team sprint final results marked the opening day of the UCI track world championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, a 45-minute drive from the heart of Paris, on Wednesday.

Chinese pair Gong Jinjie and Zhong Tianshi won the women’s team sprint title in a new world record time.

A precise read of the team sprint regulations, and a fortuitious overhead camera at the finish line, handed the French men the team sprint gold ahead of a faster New Zealand squad, which was disqualified.

UCI to consider extreme weather protocol.

The UCI said it is working with its key stakeholders to develop protocols for handling extreme weather situations in professional races, but it did not specifically state whether it would be considering the proposal submitted by the new Association of North American Pro Road Cyclists (ANAPRC) earlier this month.

"The UCI considers the safety of riders as an absolute priority and is therefore taking this issue very seriously," a UCI spokesman told Cyclingnews.

Frank Schleck facing medical examination after being forced out of Vuelta a Andalucía.

Hoping for a solid performance in the race after netting a solid ninth in the Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana last month, Frank Schleck instead was forced to drop out of the first stage of the Vuelta a Andalucía due to a big crash.

The Trek Factory Racing rider was one of the worst affected in a fall towards the end of the opening 121.3 kilometer race from La Rábida/Palos de la Fra to Hinojos.

He finished 138th, seven minutes 35 seconds back, but was unable to continue in the afternoon stage 1b time trial due to his injuries.

“Frank came down in the second big crash inside the final ten kilometers,” explained team press officer Tim Vanderjeugd to CyclingTips. “It was the one where the Sky and Ag2r riders collided. It was like a tsunami in the bunch…so many riders came down.

Claude Criquielion dies aged 58.

Former world champion Claude Criquielion, 58, has died after a suffering a stroke and a brain haemorrhage. The Belgian was taken to hospital in Aalst, Belgium on Sunday and remained in a critical condition until his death on Wednesday morning.

The hospital confirmed the passing of the 1984 world champion had occurred at 9:00am this morning, with the family deciding not to add any further comment at this stage.

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. 

Day 1 live video starts at 7:50pm CET (1:50pm U.S. Eastern, 10:50am PST).

Day 2 info and links to come early Thursday.

Van Garderen fine-tuning for 2015 after ‘bittersweet’ Tour de France.

Tejay van Garderen’s season began in the Tour of Oman with confidence after a fifth place in the 2014 Tour de France, but he knows that he needs to work on his weaknesses to forget some bittersweet memories.

“My fifth in the Tour was bittersweet,” BMC Racing’s American captain told VeloNews.

“I look back and see that I had bad luck, some bad moments, poor preparation, and with the opportunity that I had, having two big contenders fall out … It’s going to be hard to get that opportunity back, but that definitely motivates me for the future, and it helped me this winter with training.”

Overall favorites Chris Froome and Alberto Contador crashed and abandoned the 2014 Tour. Italian Vincenzo Nibali won and van Garderen finished 11:24 behind, in fifth.

Van Garderen wanted more, especially since Froome and Contador went home early. However, a crash and broken hip in the Tour de Romandie led to a “bad” Critérium du Dauphiné and an imperfect Tour lead-up.

“It sent the team into a panic,” he explained.

Power2Max Type S Powermeter review.

Power2Max is a German company with a background in the automotive industry.

The company started developing power meters for cycling around 2008 and after testing different approaches, settled on a crank-based system.

The company unveiled its first power meter at Eurobike in 2010 and started shipping their first production units by the end of the year.

Power2Max promises that the Type S power meter is “simple2use” because it has a built-in cadence sensor, an automatic zero function, and is compatible with any ANT+ enabled device.

Focus Cayo 4.0 Disc.

"I literally rode the thing up a 2km hill and then down the other side so this is hardly a review, but here’s what I gleamed from my brief affair with the Sram Rival bedecked steed.

It was good. I don’t like the after-thoughtish paint job, well the white details around the headtube and seat tube specifically, but other than that it was comfortable and tight in the corners and while not quite setting my heart on fire, I would have been fine either tootling around on it all day or putting it through its paces on a hammer ride with some pals – which is kinda exactly what it was designed for."