CyclingFans: Thursday's Volta a Catalunya Stage 4 departs Tremp at 12:30pm CET (7:30am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Ascó La vostra energia at around 5:01pm CET (12:01pm U.S. Eastern). Volta a Catalunya live streaming video is scheduled to get underway by around 3:45pm CET (10:45am U.S. Eastern).

VeloNation: Snow leads to route being slashed and prompts many riders to withdraw.

Volta a Catalunya - March 19-25 (Stages & results),
Dwars door Vlaanderen - March 21 (Start list),
Milan-San Remo - March 17 (Results),
Tour de Normandie - March 19-25 (Stages & results),
Vuelta Mexico  - March 18-28 (Stages & results),
MTB World Cup Cross Country #1 March 16-18 (Races & results),
Gent - Wevelgem - March 25 (Start list),
E3 Prijs Vlaanderen - Harelbeke - March 23 (Photos),
Coppi e Bartali March - 20-24 (Stages & results),
Amgen Tour of California - May 13-20 (Stages ),
More...

VeloNews: In the spring of 2000, David Zabriskie was a quiet kid that had garnered a few decent results during the spring races in the desert southwest, but when the 7-Up-Colorado Cyclist rider attacked late with teammate Clark Sheehan and the pair held on to win stage 1 of the Redlands Classic, the peloton took notice. What ensued was a three-day battle between a young nobody and Chris Horner, whose Mercury squad was a big dog in a small lot.

VeloNation: Injury forces Movistar leader out of race.

CyclingWeekly: Ian Wilkinson has added to Endura Racing's ever-increasing tally of continental road wins, claiming the third stage of the Tour de Normandie on Wednesday morning.

CyclingNews: Sevilla retains overall lead.

Today's Quote

“I’m far from being the best climber, far from being the best sprinter, far from being the strongest guy on the road… You become more tactically astute from not being the strongest guy there, so you really have to learn how to race, and learn how to be clever to win the races. You’ve got to learn tactics.” - Simon Gerrans CycleSport

BikeRadar: Dr. Allen Lim, a former consultant for both Garmin-Transitions and RadioShack professional road teams, along with Skratch Labs partner, and professional chef, Biju Thomas, have just launched the Skratch Labs mobile performance food trailer, which is supported by Nissan.

VeloNews: Jens Voigt (RadioShack-Nissan) will be back at the start line for one of his favorite races of the year in this weekend’s Critérium International, but he admits his chances of a history-making sixth victory are slim.

BikeRadar verdict: 5 out of 5 stars. "One of the most rewarding riding experiences you can have right now."

CyclingFans: Thursday's Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali Stage 3, departs Fiorano Modenese at 12:00pm CET (7:00am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Levizzano at around 3:52pm CET (10:52am U.S. Eastern). There is no live television coverage but photos and videos as available.

Breaks leg...

SBS: Wife, Carole, confirmed to this morning that her husband, regarded as one of the best leadout riders in the world, would be out of cycling for at least three months, possibly six, ruling him out of an eighth Tour de France and a fifth Olympic Games.

Omega Pharma-Quick Step's Niki Terpstra rode a dominating race to victory in today's Dwars door Vlaanderen semi-classic, dropping his breakaway teammates on the Oude Kwaremont and holding off an 11-rider chase with relative ease for the solo win. Terpstra's team held all the cards in this race, with Sylvain Chavanel in the early break with him, and dogging each of the chasing efforts with his frightening presence looming at their back.

CyclingNews: NetApp's Benedetti moves into overall lead.

InnerRing: I’m learning about cycling every day but I know surprisingly little about Merckx. Various ideas come to mind. The rocking shoulders, the sideburns, winning all the jerseys in the Tour de France in the same year, the son of a shopkeeper from a Brussels suburb, the brown Molteni jersey and more. William Fotheringham’s book links all these mental images together and builds them into a fine history of the Belgian’s career.

As a kid in the UK who grew up getting into cycling thanks to the Channel Four coverage of the Tour de France, it was a real pleasure to speak to one half of the commentary team who called those incredible races: Lemond vs Hinault in 1986; Lemond vs Fignon in 1989; Robert Millar’s stage wins in the Pyrenees; and Stephen Roche’s stunning 1987 Tour.

Bicycling: Got a favorite race you never miss? Follow a certain rider's every move all season long? Of course you do—you're a passionate cycling fan. Why not expand your racing horizons and check out what other races and racers are out there? Here are some suggestions to get you started. —Joe Lindsey and Whit Yost.

Lennard Zinn: I wasn’t kidding last week; bigger tires DO roll faster!

BikeRadar: The 35-year-old fractured the neck of his left femur in what he described as a fairly innocuous fall during the Nove Mesto World Cup round last August. He has spent much of his close season building back up from what was a serious injury, with hours of Wattbike training and gym sessions now behind him.

CyclingFans: Race starts at 11:40am CET (6:40am U.S. Eastern). Finish at around 4:30pm CET (11:30am U.S. Eastern). Live video from 2:20pm CET (9:20am U.S. Eastern).

CyclingNews: Breakaway sticks as peloton mis-times the catch.

 

VeloNation: Says Belgian ‘rode with the sword of Damocles over his head.’

CycleSport: As UCI president, Pat McQuaid is the figurehead of an organisation that governs and authorises all aspects of the sport. But he is not popular with everyone. He has been caricatured as a bumbling fool. There have been bitter rows with race organisers, and with the teams, who have accused the UCI of operating a feudal system designed to ensure it prospers.

VeloNews: The UCI is continuing its crackdown on non-standard and modified equipment, with a number of common modifications deemed illegal for 2012, including filing off fork dropout safety tabs.

RedKitePrayer: Milan-San Remo has probably weathered more controversies in its 106-year history than any other classic. Last Saturday’s race, headed by Simon Gerrans’ upset victory, was no exception. And the announcement by the organizers on Monday that they are (again) thinking of making a few modifications to the 298km course has only added fuel to the perennial arguments about the race not being hard enough to reveal a true champion.

CyclingNews: Plus four Brazilians suspended for two years for doping.

Video: How to wheelie, with Tracy Moseley.

BikeRadar: A basic skill of mountain biking is knowing how to wheelie. Not only will you impress your mates with your new found prowess on one wheel, it's also an essential trail skill that'll see you deal with pesky roots or logs in your path.

Crew-neck semi-fitted T with contrast colored stiching detail. Finely printed T shirt front, rear, and sleeve, and '10 commandments of spin' badge. Cotton elastane single jersey, enzyme-washed for that super-soft, worn feel.

Suddenly, as a result of what happened today, Stage 7 has taken on a whole new dimension. There’s a storm a-brewin’, ya see, and it’s gonna get ugly.

Bicycling: 25 solutions to vexing problems.

road.cc: Featuring Millar's Cervelo, Hoogerland's Bianchi, Petacchi's Wilier, Nibali's Cannondale and loads more.

VeloNation: Says finishing line closer to Poggio could boost safety and drama.