Thomas Dekker falls short in Hour Record attempt.

Dutchman Thomas Dekker misses out on the record by just 270m after completing 209 full laps of the Aguascalientes velodrome in Mexico

Dekker who is without a professional team in 2015, began strongly, lapping in the mid 17s, and seemed to pick up his speed around the 35-minute mark.

But Dekker could not maintain the pace or his line around the track as the clock ticked past 45 minutes.

Not known for his expertise on the track, Dekker struggled to ride close to the track’s black line – something that Australian Rohan Dennis excelled at in his successful attempt earlier in February.

Hour Record heats up: Who are the main contenders for the crown?

This year is the year of the Hour Record. By the end of 2015 there will be a new name next to the longest distance ridden by a cyclist in 60 minutes on a track.

Interest in the Hour Record has rocketed since the UCI revised its rules to allow the use of modern track pursuit bikes, rather than the confusing old-fashioned machines previously specified.

Jens Voigt was the first to set a new mark under the revised rules on September 18 2014 in Switzerland.

Media and fan interest in the event was huge, revitalising the feat that had lain dormant for a decade.

Q & A: World Hour Record holder Rohan Dennis.

On February 8, Australian Rohan Dennis set a new and existing world hour record of 52.491km at the Velodrome Suisse in Grenchen, Switzerland.

In the high altitude of Aguascalientes in Mexico on Wednesday night (local), Dutchman Thomas Dekker will attempt to break Dennis' mark.

Whatever happens, Dennis will forever be known as a world hour record holder, but as he told Rupert Guinness while Dekker prepared for his attempt, the BMC rider has not ruled out another attempt later in his career.

Huffman scores first win for Team SmartStop.

Former Astana rider Evan Huffman scored his first win of 2015 for Team SmartStop Tuesday at the Vuelta Independencia Nacional Republica in the Dominican Republic.

Huffman soloed to the stage 3 finish 29 seconds ahead of the field sprint led by Team Ecuador's Byron Guama and EPM-UNE's Jaime Castaneda. SmartStop's Travis McCabe was fourth.

Uncertainty for Vos as season kicks off.

In her first update since being dethroned at the cyclocross World Championships, Marianne Vos expresses uncertainty about when she’ll jump back into competition.

The Dutchwoman has been nursing a hamstring injury since December, which resulted in some sub-par performances (compared to her usual dominating-self) and an earlier end to her cyclocross season.

In a blog post on the RabLiv website, Vos revealed that she has taken some time off the bike and, with a new mountain and road season looming, is first and foremost focused on recovery.

“Full recovery from this injury takes a while, so I have to be patient,” she writes, and expresses uncertainty about when she might start her season.

Vansummeren talks about his move to Ag2r-La Mondiale.

Belgium's Johan Vansummeren made the switch from the American team Garmin-Sharp, where he spent six seasons, to the French team Ag2r-La Mondiale with no regrets.

The former Paris-Roubaix winner said there were few differences between the two teams, and that he has a similar program that focuses once again on strong performances in the Spring Classics.

"I changed teams this year and had a few good training camps, I'm happy, I'm a happy man," Vansummeren told Cycingnews.

Cranktip pedals first look.

Cyclists have always placed their feet on top of the pedals, above the axles, which accentuates the length of the cranks at the top of the pedal stroke rather than the bottom.

Since the leverage of a crank arm depends upon its length, there has always been a possibility that the efficiency of pedalling could be improved by re-positioning the pedal.

Lowering the pedal axis is not a new idea.

The first dropped pedal, the Ramsey Swinging Pedal, was invented in 1898 and the North American company promised an immediate improvement in efficiency or a full refund.

There have been other dropped pedal designs since then—Sansax, Hi-E, CycleBinding, Power Pedals, and most recent, Side Mount pedals—yet none of these designs have ever been widely adopted.

2014-15 Races & Results.

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite - Feb 28 (Start List),

Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne - Mar 1 (Start List),

Paris Nice - Mar 8-15 (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),

Volta ao Algarve - Feb 19-23 (Results),

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

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

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

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

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

More ...

RAHT RACER - World's First Highway Speed Bike.

"The RAHT RACER™ is a power biking vehicle that uses state of the art pedal-electric hybrid technology to amplify pedal power, enabling the rider’s legs to propel the vehicle up to highway speeds.

Safer than a motorcycle, or bicycle on a busy street, the Raht has an integrated roll cage, reinforced carbon fiber body and automotive safety features like headlights, tail lights, seat belts & air bag.

What you see here is our first prototype. Its top speed is roughly 70 mph. Our goal is to begin development of our actual production model this year. It will have a top speed of about 100 mph."

Speedplay Zero Pave pedals.

BikeRadar verdict:  4 out of 5 stars. "For Speedplay fanatics – and probably sceptics too – the Pave edition of the Zero does not disappoint."

No UCI announcement on Independent Commission doping report before mid March.

Contador sticks to planned Giro d'Italia build-up.

Possible Paris-Nice return for Schleck following Ruta del Sol crash.

Geist's bronze medal at Worlds caps eight-year recovery from near-fatal accident.

How Aero is too Aero?

In the News: Sweeck may face two-year suspension.

Het Nieusblad reports that Laurens Sweeck, the reigning Belgian under-23 national cyclocross champion, may be suspended for two years following revelations that he purchased five doses of Vaminolact, a medicine for infants that contains amino acids.

The controversy surrounding Sweeck, who finished second at U-23 worlds in Tabor in February, is rooted in how the medicine is administered.

Although Vaminolact is not a prohibited substance, Sweeck would run afoul of Belgian anti-doping rules if he had injected the medicine. He claims he only took it orally.

Sweeck has also been linked to Dr. Chris Mertens, who is currently under investigation in Belgium for allegedly administering ozone therapy to top athletes.

To Sprint or Not to Sprint?

Etixx-Quickstep have signed Fernando Gaviria for 2016 and some have asked if this means trouble for Mark Cavendish.

No, in fact it’s potentially a good move for the team and even helpful for Mark Cavendish. Several teams have multiple sprinting options while some stay out of this crowded contest.

Gaviria certainly looks exciting.

But let’s not forget he was heading for peak form to impress at the Tour de San Luis and then the track world championships so beating Mark Cavendish and Sacha Modolo was great for him but it’d be another thing to do it in the European summer when the stars sprinters are shining.

Full guide to Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne Brussels Kuurne.

Racing returns to Belgium this weekend, and here's what you need to know about the first semi-classics of the year.

This weekend marks the return of road racing to Northern Europe, with the traditional season openers Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne Brussels Kuurne getting the show started.

The weather is usually grim, the riders all get muddy and the fans will likely be frozen to the core – but that’s what these early spring races are all about.

If you’re not familiar with this weekend’s Belgian semi-classics, then here are a few things you should know about the two races.

Paris-Roubaix announces 2015 wildcard invites.

Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the organizer of Paris-Roubaix, announced the final line-up of teams for the 2015 race.

Twenty-five cycling teams have been selected to take part to the 113th edition of Paris-Roubaix which will take place on April 12.

The 253-kilometer race will offer 52.7km of cobblestones, including the three sectors slated for this year’s Tour de France.

The Angel and the Devil: Loren Rowney on classic-style training.

"It was a classic style training day in Belgium.

Wait what? I mean Girona.

(You’ll forgive my confusion when I explain)

We’ve all had those days. The ones where you look down at your Garmin and think: “Oh dear God. I’m not even one hour in to this ride…and I still have a very, very long way to go before I’m sipping on coffee back home.”

Yup, this past weekend produced one of those days – two times over but for completely different reasons."

Merckx pushes to renew Tour of Oman contract despite rider protest.

Eddy Merckx wants to see the Tour of Oman renewed through 2021, which could be harder after a rider protest during the race on Saturday.

“I don’t know what decision the city will take,” Merckx told VeloNews. “Will the race continue? I don’t know. We have to wait and see what happens. The protest could cause problems. They are very angry with a few riders and some teams may not be invited back.”

High winds and temperatures caused headaches on Saturday for Merckx, who co-owns and organizes the Tour of Oman along with the Tour of Qatar.

Alberto Contador will win Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, says Tinkov.

Alberto Contador will win both the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France, and his rivals including Chris Froome “are afraid”, according to Tinkoff-Saxo team owner Oleg Tinkov.

“I’m convinced he’s going to win unless something bad happens like in 2014 with a crash or a tactical mistake,” Tinkov explained.

“Everyone knows he can win, that’s why they are afraid of him and that’s why they don’t want to go to the Giro.”

2015 new products from Thule, K-Edge, Ridley, Rapide and Madison.

New Ridley X-Night SL Disc cyclocross bikes, Rapide disc gravel bike prototype, new Madison saddles and Thule bags and racks, and much more.

Norco Valence Ultegra Di2.

BikeRadar verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. "A sporty endurance bike that offers a high-value build on a quality frame.

The size choices won’t suit all, but if it fits you this is a super solid choice."

Unappreciated and misunderstood: The 10 worst things about being a cyclist.

Cycling is simply a case of speeding from point A to point B and the fastest guy wins, right?

But how on earth can Marcel Kittel win five Tour de France stages but be 167th overall? What a nonsense sport.

Cycling is a sport that few understand and we, as riders, have had enough.

We take a quick rattle through 10 of the worst things about being bike riders.

Daily Distractions.

Video: Inside the Wiggle Honda Training Camp.

Synergy Baku suspends Pliuschin.

The Synergy Baku Cycling Project announced that it has suspended Alexandr Pliuschin. The Moldovan rider returned a non-negative test for Salbutamol at the Sharjah Tour in Dubai while riding for the Skydive Dubai Cycling Team in November 2014.

Pliuschin has been suspended from the team in accordance with the team’s policies and strong approach to anti-doping at any level.

He will remain suspended until the case is resolved.

“The team makes no exception for any rider with an adverse finding. It is our policy and we cannot deviate from it,” said team manager David McQuaid.

Cookson calls for collective responsibility in anti-doping.

As cycling braces itself for the findings of the Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC), UCI president Brian Cookson has stressed his belief that the notion of collective responsibility is central to the future of the fight against doping in the sport.

He envisages a model which involves all stakeholders in the anti-doping effort, with everyone held accountable and clear about where they stand.

Only in cycling could a sexual assault inspire a race’s advertizing strategy .

"Remember IDRD-Bogota Humana-San Mateo-Solgar? They were the virtually unknown women’s team who provoked instant social media fauxrage last year with their supposedly “nude” strip.

The response was a curious blend of isms - driven on the one hand by a pruriently sexist attitude to objectifying and demeaning women’s bodies, on the other by the feminist idea that women’s bodies should not be exploited in this way.

The opprobrium went right to the top, with Brian Cookson, president of the UCI, tweeting that the kit was “unacceptable”.

So what to make of the publicity for this year’s E3 Harelbeke with its tagline, “Who squeezes them in Harelbeke?” They have previous for this kind of thing, featuring women’s naked, objectified bodies in 2011 and 2014.

This year’s campaign plays on the infamous moment when Peter Sagan decided to grope podium girl Maja Leye’s bottom as she planted the obligatory winner’s kiss on Fabian Cancellara’s cheek at the Tour of Flanders in 2013.

He later presented her with flowers, because flowers make everything alright after a sexual assault, don’t they?"

Insane Competition for Paris-Nice.

The first races of 2015 have already whetted appetites and provided an amuse-bouche of the season in store.

The real feast, though, is being prepared for Paris-Nice and will be served by some of the biggest names in cycling: Porte, Wiggins, Kwiatkowski, Van Garderen, Péraud, Bardet, Talansky, Majka, Barguil and Aru will all be on the start-line in Maurepas, and all vying to succeed the winner of the 2014 Race to the Sun, Carlos Betancur.

While the route unveiled by Christian Prudhomme in February gave at least a vague outline of what kind of racing to expect over eight days and 1,137 kilometers between the Parisian suburbs and the Côte d’Azur, sifting the pretenders from the contenders promises to be a much trickier undertaking.

Pauwels ends cyclo-cross season as UCI number one.

Kevin Pauwels has ended the 2014-2015 cyclo-cross season as the top-ranked rider in the UCI individual standings.

The Belgian leapfrogged over compatriot Wout Van Aert thanks to the UCI's complicated 12-month rolling points tally.

Pauwels ended the season with 1905 points to Van Aert's 1840.

Lars van der Haar was third, with 1640 points, while world champion Mathieu van der Poel was fourth.

Novo Nordisk rider Ruud Cremers hospitalized with head injury.

Ruud Cremers sustained a head injury Monday after crashing hard during the Vuelta Independencia Nacional in the Dominican Republic.

According to a team release, Cremers went down during stage 2 of the eight-day race.

The 23-year-old abandoned and was taken to the hospital, and is now in stable condition.

2015 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad LIVE.

Race starts Saturday at 11:35am CET (5:35am U.S. Eastern)

Finish at around 4:38pm CET (10:38am U.S. Eastern)

Live video from 1:30pm CET (7:30am U.S. Eastern, 4:30am Pacific).

2015 Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne LIVE.

Sunday's Race starts at 12:00pm CET (6:00am U.S. Eastern)

Finish at around 4:40pm CET (10:40am U.S. Eastern)

Live video from 2:30pm CET (8:30am U.S. Eastern, 5:30am Pacific).

BikeSnobNYC: Pefrection is Overated.

Gaviria signs two-year deal with Etixx-QuickStep.

Phil Gaimon Journal: Good legs and bad omens.