Extreme conditions and rider safety concerns cause neutralization of Tour of Oman stage.

Sandstorms, extreme temperatures and high winds combined Saturday to cause difficult conditions for the riders at the Tour of Oman and, after protests from the teams, to the eventual neutralization of what was to be the penultimate stage.

The 151 kilometer leg was due to travel from Al Sawadi Beach to the Ministry of Housing, but was affected at the start by a big sandstorm.

That prompted the organizers to shorten the stage, with the modified parcours set to cover three laps of 29.5 kilometers plus the original finishing circuit.

Sandstorm, rider strike snuff stage 5 at 2015 Tour of Oman.

A sandstorm and a riders’ protest forced the cancellation of Saturday’s fifth stage of the Tour of Oman.

Organizers took the decision after the riders came to a halt shortly after the start of the stage, which had already been shortened to 100km from 151.5km because of bad weather.

At first, organizers decided to drop one of the four ascents of the Bousher al Amerat, shifting the start to Al Wazarat. The finish was to be as planned in front of the Ministry of Housing.

But following discussion among the UCI, ASO, organizer Eddy Merckx, and the teams and riders, they decided to drop the entire stage.

Taylor Wiles wins in Admiral Hill.

Tayler Wiles won stage 4 of the Women's Tour of New Zealand from a breakaway that succeeded to the final climb in Admiral Hill.

It is the third stage win for the US National team, having already won the opening team time trial and the second stage.

Wiles won the race to the top of the hill ahead of Lauren Kitchen by one second and Joanne Hogan  by five seconds.

The win pushed Wiles up into the overall race lead ahead of the event's previous race leader and her own teammate Megan Guarnier.

Guarnier is now sitting in second place six seconds back and teammate Evelyn Stevens is in third overall nine seconds back.

Volta ao Algarve: Porte wins in Malhão.

Team Sky’s Richie Porte took a solo win during the fourth stage, the queen stage, of the Volta ao Algarve on a hilltop finish in Malhão.

He crossed the finish line three seconds ahead of current world champion Michal Kwiatkowski and nine seconds ahead of Ion Izagirre.

Porte’s teammate Geraint Thomas maintained his lead in the overall classification and is now sitting 27 seconds ahead of Kwiatkowski and 1:11 minutes ahead of Tiago Machado.

Cant and Van der Poel Win 2015 Boels Classic Heerlen.

Mathieu van der Poel followed up his Men’s Elite win at the 2014 Boels Classic Heerlen with another today, this one while wearing the rainbow jersey of the World Champion. The young rider spent most of the race battling with fellow World’s podium racer Lars van der Haar, which proved to be one of the most vicious battles of the day.

Sanne Cant won the Boels Classic Heerlen with more than enough time to zip up her kit and pose for the crowd as she finished across the line eight seconds ahead of second place. On the podium, she was joined by Nikki Harris and Ellen Van Loy, the latter who was 50 seconds behind the leader.

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).

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Tour of Oman 2015 Live Dashboard.

Sunday's Tour of Oman Stage 6 departs Oman Air at 10:40am local (7:40am CET, 1:40am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Matrah Corniche at around 2:01pm local (11:01am CET, 5:01am U.S. Eastern).

Tour of Oman live video streaming is possible.

Focus Mares CX 3.0 Bike Review.

After getting a first look of the new Mares at the 2014 Sea Otter Classic, it was immediately obvious that Focus has addressed one of our concerns. Jeremy Powers and cyclocross legend Mike Kluge walked us through the changes.

Head tubes got taller, thankfully, and the center of gravity also moved up, as the low bottom bracket moved up from a 7cm drop to a 6.5cm drop.

The bike also lost weight, added thru axles on disc models and added a huge metal plate to prevent and protect against chain drops.

Powers pointed out that the bikes got longer. The geometry, even at a first glance, reveals that the Mares got way longer, and the size Large now has a 1.5cm longer top tube.

Speedplay Brass Knuckle pedals.

BikeRadar verdict: 2 out of 5 stars. "Pedals don't come much burlier than this, but sadly grip issues mean these aren't quite a knockout."

Armstrong to ride in Livestrong event.

Lance Armstrong is getting back on his bike, this time to raise money for the charity he founded and was later pressured to leave.

Armstrong has set up a fundraising team for the Livestrong Challenge ride in Austin in October.

It will be his first return to the event since 2012. Armstrong registered for the charity ride and made a $6,420 donation on Feb 2.

He also set up a "Lance & Friends" team that has drawn several longtime Livestrong ride participants and has surpassed $10,000 in total funds raised.

Van Garderen underestimates Valls at Tour of Oman.

Once shunned, Greg LeMond returns to biking world and road to success.

Greg LeMond, America's original superstar cyclist, is back.

After years of being shunned by the cycling world for asserting in 2001 that Lance Armstrong was using performance enhancing drugs, the now-vindicated three-time Tor de France winner (1986, '89 and '90) is on a roll.

He hosts two Tour-related telecasts; founded and sold LeMond Fitness, maker of several top-ranked home exercise products; is rebuilding his long-shuttered brand of high-end road, mountain and adventure bikes; and has co-written "The Science of Fitness" with biologist Mark Hom.

The book focuses on mitochondria, the tiny motors in each cell that power muscular movement. The topic is close to LeMond's heart, as he was forced to retire early because his own mitochondria was (and still is) being poisoned by 35 lead pellets that were embedded in his heart lining and liver during a 1987 hunting accident.

Froome seizes overall lead at Vuelta a Andalucia.

Chris Froome claimed victory on stage 4 of the Vuelta a Andalucia atop the Alto de Allanadas to move into the overall lead and strike an important blow in what is set to be a season-long duel with Alberto Contador.

Froome was soundly beaten by Contador on the summit finish at the Hazallanas on Friday afternoon, but he responded in kind on the penultimate stage, launching a ferocious attack with a little under two kilometers remaining after solid work from teammates Nicolas Roche, Peter Kennaugh and Mikel Nieve.

Counter-punch: Chris Froome swarms Alberto Contador in Ruta double.

The mood around the Team Sky bus on a gloomy, cloudy morning was hard to read.

Chris Froome had ceded time to Alberto Contador in Friday’s showdown, and everyone was putting his best face forward.

“What happens now doesn’t decide who is going to win the Tour de France,” Nicholas Roche told VeloNews just minutes before the start of the uphill finale in stage 4. “Chris is on track, and he’s not worried.”

Five hours later, Froome delivered a stunning counter-punch on the steep slopes of the mountains of southern Spain, winning the stage at Alto de Allanadas, and taking back enough time to claim the leader’s jersey by just two seconds.

What happens in February does indeed count.

Hutarovich does it again in Tropicale Amissa Bongo.

After a difficult start to the race, Yauheni Hutarovich has finally got the ball rolling at the Tropicale Amissa Bongo.

24 hours after his first win in Africa’s biggest win, he doubled his tally when he won the bunch sprint in today’s seventh stage ahead of Andrea Palini and Yohann Gene while Rafaa Chtioui tested his legs before rolling to the finish with the main peloton to defend his overall lead.

Yates: Majka is a future Tour de France contender.

Tinkoff-Saxo directeur sportif Sean Yates is confident that Rafal Majka will go on to lead the team at the Tour de France in the near future.

Majka, who has already won two stages of the race and achieved two top ten overall placings at the Giro d’Italia, will perform a domestique role for Alberto Contador at this year’s Tour but Yates believes that he will soon be able to make the step up.

Cavendish needs big wins ahead of new contract says team boss Patrick Lefevere.

Etixx - Quick-Step manager, Patrick Lefevere, has warned Mark Cavendish that big wins are needed ahead of his next contract.

The British rider is in the final year of a three-year deal, but while he has already picked up five wins this season, Lefevere says his value will be decided by his performance in bigger races.

Lefevere told Cyclingnews that contract negotiations wouldn’t begin until later in the season.

2015 Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista del Sol LIVE.

Sunday's Vuelta a Andalucia/Ruta del Sol Stage 5 departs Montilla at 11:00am CET (5:00am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Alhaurin de la Torre at around 3:02pm CET (9:02am U.S. Eastern).

Ruta del Sol live streaming video should get underway at around 2:00pm CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern).

Van Dessel Sports Hellafaster frameset long-term.

BikeRadar verdict: 4.5 out of 5 stars. "Fantastic alloy road racer that can go head-to-head with carbon."

Little innovations make a big difference for riders.

All bikes tend to look alike at first. But a closer look reveals some clever design innovations this year that give world-class triathletes, gonzo mountain bikers, traveling tandem aficionados and raw rookie road riders alike exactly what they want: a little more speed, a lot more versatility, way more practicality and even an economical deal that might leave you enough to buy a nice pair of bike shorts.

Vinokourov resigns from ambassador role in Almaty 2022 Olympic bid.

Contador beats Froome in exciting duel on the Hazallanas.

Volta ao Algarve: Tony Martin wins time trial.

Geraint Thomas’s greatest hits… and misses.

Horner's Airgas-Safeway teammates motivated by veteran's presence.

Contador and Froome set for battle on Vuelta a Andalucia's first mountain finish.

Daily Distractions.

Podcast: Guests - Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer; Rody Walter from Groovy Cycleworks.

Drugs in sport: Cycling facing 'uncomfortable' report into doping.

Cycling must prepare itself for some "uncomfortable reading" when an independent panel's report into doping in the sport is published.

The three-man panel, established by International Cycling Union (UCI) president Brian Cookson last year, could release its report next week.

Its investigation has included interviews with disgraced former cyclist Lance Armstrong.

"When you open a can of worms, you find a lot of worms," said Cookson.

"There'll be a lot of uncomfortable reading," he added, "I think we should all prepare ourselves for that."

Lance Armstrong gives me a call.

"I was hoping he'd apologize.

Friday before last I walked into my office between classes at Houston Baptist University. The red light was waiting for me. You know, the one on my phone telling me I have voicemail, which is always the equivalent of the "no-subject" email — you never know what is coming. Could be anything — or anyone.

To my surprise, it was Lance Armstrong — giving me a call.

I don't get messages from internationally known athletes every day.

Well, actually, never.

He had a message for me. He wanted to tell me that he was sorry."

Fernando Gaviria wins men’s omnium at 2015 track worlds.

Fernando Gaviria looks set to become one of the hottest properties in cycling after winning the men’s omnium title at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships on Saturday.

The 20-year-old Colombian overcame three former champions to take the victory in the six-discipline event at the national velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, near Paris.

Gaviria is already a known quantity in the professional peloton, having last month beaten 2012 road world champion Mark Cavendish in two sprint finishes at the Tour de San Luis.

Cavendish’s own Etixx-Quick-Step team had the opportunity to sign Gaviria last year but passed it up, something team manager Patrick Lefevere described as a “mistake” after seeing the Colombian beat his own star sprinter at San Luis.

Gastauer takes huge solo win in Haut Var opener.

Ben Gastauer took the biggest win of his career when he emerged as the strongest in the hilly first stage of the Tour du Haut Var.

Having been part of a 5-rider breakaway, they strong Luxembourger attacked on the Mur de Montauroux to distance his companions and narrowly managed to hold off the peloton to take both the stage win and the first leader’s jersey in the race.

2014 was a breakthrough year for Gastauer who had mostly been known as a loyal domestique when he lined up for the Tour de France.

Those three weeks on French soil made him famous for his excellent climbing skills as he was the key support rider for Jean-Christophe Peraud and Romain Bardet and played a key role in securing Ag2r’s win in the teams classification.

UCI Track Worlds: Australia's Wiasak wins individual pursuit.

Gaviria and Viviani battle in Omnium, Pervis wins another gold.

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 4 live video starts at 6:50pm CET (12:50pm U.S. Eastern).

California’s Queen Stage: A Top Ride.

"The queen stage of the 2015 Tour of California will be a ball buster of epic proportions, climbing 11,600 feet over just 80 miles from Ontario to the top of Mt. Baldy.

 rode the stage a couple years back as part of the L’Etape du California sportif ride, and can assure you this would be at home in any Grand Tour.

Sometimes the ride I set out to do ends up a complete disaster, while the whole event ends up being an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything.

My day riding the L’Etape du California in April of 2012 along the ATOC’s 8th stage route produced more personal on-bike suffering than I care to remember, but was a weekend well worth the effort.

The same stage features again in the 2015 edition, and it’s a killer… one for the climbers… and one that makes the most of California’s stunning Angeles National Forest mountains."

Tour du Haut Var LIVE stream, Start List, News, Photos, Profile, Times.

The 2015 Tour du Haut Var is being held February 21-22. 

Stage 1 starts at 12:30pm CET (6:30am U.S. Eastern).

Finish at around 4:56pm CET (10:56am U.S. Eastern, 7:56am Pacific).

Live video from 12:30pm CET(6:30am U.S. Eastern).

Millionaire entrepreneur explains why cycling — and not golf — is the new sport of choice for young professionals.

Every week it seems like there's a new story with the headline "Cycling Is The New Golf."

While golf "still commands the highest portion of participants with household incomes above $100,000 among popular sports," according to Reuters, its popularity is waning, and the number of courses has been on the decline in the US the past eight years.

The Economist says "golf's appeal has become its undoing. Its meditative quality does not suit the frenetic pace of modern life."