The UCI today announced that it has renewed the licenses of seven World Tour events for four years. This will be of particular note and relief to the administrators of the Tour of Catalunya, an event which has been blighted by the financial problems that are currently gripping Spain and other parts of Europe.

Today's Quote

"Life goes on whether you win or lose for sure. So I'll try to relax tonight and then in the morning as the race approaches, hopefully I'll remain calm and easy." - Chris Horner CyclingNews

VeloNation: American rider gives a little leeway to Nibali.

Milan-San Remo - March 17
Paris - Nice (Stages & results),
Tirreno-Adriatico - March 7-13 (Stages & results),
Tour de Taiwan - March 10-16 (Stages & results),
Ronde van Drenthe (Results),
Panamerican Road Championships (Stages & results),
Dwars door Drenthe (Results),
Drentse 8 (Results),
Merco Cycling Classic (Stages & results),
Amgen Tour of California - May 13-20 (Stages ),
More...

road.cc: Man who wore maillot jaune on three occasions reckons Team Sky man can take it all the way to Paris this July.

PodiumInsight: In the final tally of medals over the track and road events, the United States of America finished in third place with 14 medals (three gold, three silver and eight bronze) and Canada was fourth with three gold, three silver and one bronze medals for a total of seven medals. Chile took home the most gold medals, five, and two silver and one bronze medals.

CyclingIQ: Possibly taking a leaf out of “How to dominate a stage race, by Andrea Guardini”, in-form Genesys Wealth Advisers all-rounder, Anthony Giacoppo, claimed the second of his Tour de Taiwan stage wins only three days into the week-long event. Fellow Aussie, Rhys Pollock (Drapac) slipped into yellow.

Where am I? This is a question that comes to every stage racer at some point in the season.

VeloNews: It did not take long for Alejandro Valverde to return to the top of the world rankings. The Movistar rider, back in the peloton following his controversial two-year ban for links to the Operación Puerto blood doping ring, leads the latest WorldTour rankings.

Peloton: Litespeed proves they make exceptional bikes, regardless of material.

When Rabobank’s Luis León Sanchez crossed the finish line in stage 6 of Paris-Nice ahead of Jens Voigt, something didn’t look quite right. The smile on his face was appropriate, his jersey was fully zipped and his bike was immaculately clean. It was the black hub on his Shimano-equipped Giant that stood out.

CyclingFans: Tuesday's Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 7 a 9.3km Individual Time Trial at San Benedetto del Tronto gets underway with the departure of the first rider at 1:15pm CET (8:15am U.S. Eastern). Click for full Start Order and Times. Tirreno-Adriatico live streaming video is scheduled to get underway by around 2:40pm CET (9:40am U.S. Eastern) on Gazzetta TV with live coverage on Sporza and Eurosport scheduled to start 10 minutes and 20 minutes later, respectively.

CyclingNews: RadioShack-Nissan's Chris Horner held onto the overall race lead on an attack-laden stage 6 of Tirreno-Adriatico, and now has only a 9.3km time trial standing between himself and the final race victory.

Joaquim Rodriguez of Katusha resumed his old habit of winning a stage of Tirreno-Adriatico with a solo victory in Offida, Italy today.

VeloNews: Most of the top Milan-San Remo favorites abandoned Tirreno-Adriatico in Monday’s penultimate stage, leaving many wondering who would to be ready for Saturday’s showdown in “La Primavera.”

VeloNation: 2011 WorldTour champion hoping to recover for Milan-Sanremo.

BikeRadar: The US$2,350 - $3,150 road bike market has become incredibly competitive. In fact, we can’t think of a single bike in this year's Cycling Plus Bike of the Year test that we wouldn’t be happy to own.

BikeRadar verdict: 5 out of 5 stars. "Hugely impressive all-rounder that combines great kit, light weight and superlative ride quality."

BikeRumor: Cycling books told through images win a distinguished place in my library. Intertwined with depictions of history and in-depth analysis of culture or bikes in themselves, they provide an aesthetic understanding that surpasses pure technical literacy. After all, aside from performance, cycling has much to do with design. The three books we have here promise to enrich the rider and sustain, bring about, or enhance conversations between fellow cyclists (or friends in general).

msnbc: At least 300 nude cyclists hit the streets of Lima, Peru, on Saturday, protesting the reckless driving they say has killed thousands in their country, Reuters reported.

The Daily Distraction.

RBAction: Bike racers, triathletes, runners, and competitors in all sports have to learn to deal with pressure. But it’s not just the pressure of expectation or nervousness that you could fail. Success and excitement – overwhelmingly positive circumstances – can be just as disruptive.

The photo above is from Vélo magazine and I used it to illustrate a piece about Bradley Wiggins’s shrinking frame size. For all the talk of losing weight, he’s also got much lower on his bike.

MSNBS: Toyota and Parlee team up on neuro-connected bicycle; think about arrows and make it so.

VeloNews: Endurance mountain bike legend Ned Overend received the Cycling Legend award at the Endurance Live! gala in Los Angeles Saturday night.

RedKitePrayer: I’ve got seven bikes in my garage, two unfinished posts on the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, a whole dresser devoted to cycling clothing and three rides in my legs in the last four weeks.

"I've known the guys at State Bicycle Co. for several years and it never really occurred to me that our readers were missing out because the different cultures that have become associated with fixed gears versus the Pezotype road riders just seemed miles away."

The freedom..the challenge..the passion..the pursuit of a great coffee. We simply call it THE WHEEL REVOLUTION.
Crew neck t-shirt, Printed graphic on front and back and embroidered badge on sleeve. Cotton jersey with peached finish for that super soft and worn feel.

BikeRadar verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. "Ultra-light with a wide field of vision. Ideal on the road."

Fuso’s frame building experience dates back to 1957, where Dave Moulton first learned this craft from a man named Albert 'Pop' Hodge in Luton, England. Dave made frames under his own name, Recherche, and once in the US built for MASI, then under John Howard, and finally FUSO in 1984. His apprentice, Russ Denny, continues the legend of FUSO with 25 years of his own experience. There is the original, and three new models, that all carry the FUSO ride characteristics that made the bike one of the most sought after in the 1980s.

Bicycling: Take care of your clothes the right way, and they'll last longer and feel better.