Cavendish sprints to Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne win.

Mark Cavendish claimed his second win in Kuurne Brussels Kuurne after out-sprinting Alexander Kristoff and Elia Viviani on Sunday, saving Etixx-QuickStep’s blushes after the team lost out in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite.

Kristoff: Maybe Cavendish was fresher.

Team Katusha’s leader Alexander Kristoff finished second in the prestigious one-day race Kuurne – Bruxelles – Kuurne (193 km), which was held today in Belgium.

Kristoff and his Katusha teammates controlled the last 30 km, keeping the pace high as the peloton headed through the city streets of Kuurne.

Kristoff held his position as the group hit the final corner to set up the field sprint.

The strong Norwegian ramped up his power with 150 m to go, kicking for the finish line in a massive turn of speed. A last second pass from Mark Cavendish put Kristoff in second place by less than a bike length in an exciting group sprint.

2014-15 Races & Results.

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),

Kuurne-Bruxelles-Kuurne - Mar 1 (Results),

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Elite - Feb 28 (Results),

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).

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The Moment The Race Was Won: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Ian Stannard took on three riders from a rival team, cracking them one by one on the road to Gent before it was Niki Terpstra’s time to get done over in the sprint.

The locals call triumphing in a race overwinning, a term that ought to be used in English to describe Stannard’s success.

The early break went with only seven riders.

It had quality with 21 year old Aléxis Gougeard plus two established rouleurs in Albert Timmer and Matt Brammeier and as the race went on this trio were the last to hold out as Team Sky set the pace with Bradley Wiggins, born in Ghent, leading over the cobbles to the sound of angry farmers waving black flags from idle tractors.

Sicard: I no longer doubt myself.

Romain Sicard has shown during the difficult Vuelta a Andalucía, last week, he already had a good physical condition to "hard circuits and the Vuelta worthy arrivals", he compares.

He finished in 14th place at a mountain top finish, and during the penultimate stage, he made a long breakaway before the return of Froome-Contador duo.

Speaking in an interview with L’Equipe, the rider is hoping his form can help him gain leadership in more races for Europcar, such as today’s Drome Classic.

13 things your friends don’t understand about cycling.

t’s too much to ask for all your friends to be cyclists.

We all need a mix of acquaintances who can ask silly questions, completely miss the point and not understand what you’re going through when Marcel Kittel beats Mark Cavendish yet again.

This is what you know, and they don’t. At least until you make them read it.

The Moment The Race Was Won: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Ian Stannard took on three riders from a rival team, cracking them one by one on the road to Gent before it was Niki Terpstra’s time to get done over in the sprint.

The locals call triumphing in a race overwinning, a term that ought to be used in English to describe Stannard’s success.

Stannard repeats in Omloop.

Dumoulin wins La Drôme Classic.

Frenchman out-paces Felline, Delfosse.

Samuel Dumoulin used a last-ditch attack to seize the victory on Sunday in the Drome Classic.

Dumoulin took his first win in nearly two years  by just four seconds over Fabio Felline, with Sébastien Delfosse third at seven seconds.

The 200km race around Livron was marked by a four-man break that included Danny Summerhill, Grégoire Tarride, Axel Domont and Bert-Jan Lindeman.

Bonifazio fastest in GP Lugano.

Lampre rider tops Gavazzi, Montaguti in all-Italian podium.

Twenty-one-year old Italian rider Niccolò Bonfazio won the final sprint at the end of the 184,9 km course, beating Francesco Gavazzi, Matteo Montaguti and Rasmus Guldhammer and thus completing the great performance of the whole blue-fuchsia-green team.

Stetina and Bookwalter looking forward to more freedom.

During the winter break, BMC duo Brent Bookwalter, the longest serving member on the team, and Peter Stetina, sat down with PEZ Cycling to discuss the team and American cycling in general. 

With riders like Thor Hushovd, Cadel Evans and Martin Kohler leaving the team in the offseason, all three with great experience and many years spent riding with the team, Bookwalter was asked to assess the changes in the team.

Skydive Dubai aim for WorldTour by 2020.

Skydive Dubai's ambition is to apply for a WorldTour license in a few years, according to sport director Humaid Mehrab Al Sabbagh, speaking in an interview with Rouleur Magazine. Skydive Dubai would be the first Arabian team to be at the highest level.

Skydive Dubai was started last year and runs this year with a continental license.

The team includes Andrea Palini, Francisco Mancebo and Vladimir Gusev.

The Tunisian Rafaâ Chtioui won earlier this month La Tropicale Amissa Bongo.

Tour of Oman future confirmed despite controversies.

Despite riders' protest resulting in the cancellation of the fifth stage of this year's Tour of Oman, the continuation of the event held in the Middle East has been confirmed for 2016 season.

The race organizer, Eddy Merckx, threatened that an unpleasant incident seriously endangered a future of the event and openly criticized an attitude presented by riders.

However, a representative of the Omani party responsible for running the event emphasized that it wasn't a case.

Giant Defy Advanced Pro 2.

BikeRadar verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. "Classy chassis is a true winner that the spec can’t quite match."

Vital Information for the Cycling Community Regarding Bike Thieves.

"We received a letter from LAPD Officer John (Rusty) Redican regarding a a ring of high end bicycle thieves that were  arrested a few years back, who may or may not be at it again.

There is some good information in his letter that is worth reading and sharing with your fellow cyclists."

Daily Distractions.

Video: How The Race Was Won – Omloop Het Nieuwsblad 2015.

No chink of light for Armstrong in battle to lift lifetime ban.

Lance Armstrong’s lifetime ban from competitive sport is set to remain in place after the report into doping refused to recommend lifting it.

The Cycling Independent Reform Commission, established by the UCI president Brian Cookson, presented its report in Switzerland on Friday.

The American agreed to co-operate with the commission and had two meetings with its members.

Armstrong claims to have answered every question and, in a recent interview with the BBC, the former cyclist suggested he had been wholly honest in his dealings with the commission.

“At this point in my life I’m not out to protect anybody. I’m out to protect seven people and they all have the last name Armstrong.”

GP Samyn to include tough cobbles.

The 47th edition of the Grand Prix Samyn (1.1) is not tailored for the sprinters this year.

By working on the traditional route, it includes 13 cobbled sections totaling 13 kilometers in the final of this year’s event, which takes place on Wednesday.

The GP is ridden on March 4 between Quaregnon and Dour.

The arrival of the edition of 2015 is in the center of Dour, where the race finishes with three local laps.

According to the organization, the toughest cobbled sector, which received a three-star difficulty, lies just over two kilometers from the finish.

Knaven helps guide Stannard to Omloop Het Nieuwsblad win.

Servais Knaven knows better than most that when riders from Patrick Lefevere’s team outnumber the rest in the finale of a cobbled classic, only one outcome is likely.

After all, he was one of four Domo riders in the winning break of seven at Paris-Roubaix in 2001, and he duly slipped away to claim victory and lead a sweep of the podium for the Belgian squad.

On Saturday at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, then, Knaven must have had a sinking feeling as he sat in the Sky team car behind the decisive break and watched his man Ian Stannard outnumbered by three of Lefevere’s Etixx-QuickStep charges.

One imagines that the Dutchman was able to offer plenty of insight but precious little consolation when Stannard dropped back to weigh up his prospects.

Guesdon backs Démare for Paris-Roubaix victory.

The record 30-year drought since France’s last Tour de France victory tends to grab the headlines but it’s worth recalling that 18 years have now passed since Frédéric Guesdon became the last home winner of Paris-Roubaix when he surprised Johan Museeuw, Andrei Tchmil et al in a gripping sprint finish on the velodrome.

After retiring in 2012, Guesdon remained at FDJ as a directeur sportif, and he now finds himself in the position of offering guidance to the man viewed by many as his most likely successor at Roubaix, Arnaud Démare.

Cyclists help Google make better maps.

Cyclists are among the most likely Google Maps users to report problems with the maps, allowing the internet giant to adapt and improve mapping.

If a user tells Google that its directions are wrong, a team at Google’s Project Ground Truth will check out the claims and adjust the map - but it relies on feet - or wheels - on the ground.

Steve Tilford: Longevity and your Heart.

Storey clocks up 45.502 kilometres in hour record bid, finishes 563 metres adrift of Van Moorsel’s record.

British rider Sarah Storey came up short in her bid to beat Leontien Van Moorsel’s twelve year world hour record, covering a distance of 45.502 kilometres in Lee Valley VeloPark in London on Saturday and missing out by fractionally over half a kilometer.

Riding courageously, the multiple British Paralympic gold medallist dug in as deep as possible but taking on the pace set by one of the most successful female riders of all time proved to be too much.

What Makes Ian Stannard A Great Rider.