Boeckmans wins Le Samyn.

Kris Boeckmans won Le Samyn after beating Gianni Meersman with a powerful effort in the small group sprint in Dour, while Christophe Laporte took third.

Etixx-QuickStep dominated proceedings in the finale, and Stijn Vandenbergh’s show of forcing on the final stretch of cobbles, the 700 metres of the Rue de Bellevue, meant that the Belgian squad had four out of eight riders in the race’s decisive move.

Blaak wins Le Samyn des Dames.

Chantal Blaak won the bunch sprint that decided the Le Samyn des Dames race after a six-rider attack was reeled back in the final kilometers.

Blaak beat Anna van der Breggan, with last year’s winner Emma Johansson completing the podium.

It is the first victory of the season for Blaak, who finished fourth at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad last weekend, and the seventh win for her Boels Dolmans team.

Paris-Nice 2015 preview.

After last year’s unusual parcours, made up almost exclusively of middle-mountain stages, this year’s Paris-Nice (March 8-15) reverts to type with the balanced blend of flat stages, time-trials and mountain stages.

As such, the race once more resembles a mini-Tour de France, and looks set to be contested by general classification riders looking ahead to the grand tours later in the season.

Péraud: Sky will be tough to beat in Paris-Nice.

Jean-Christophe Péraud is starting to find his form after a slower start to the 2015 season than previous years, and is hoping he can find his form by the end of Paris-Nice to grab a good result in the uphill time trial on the Col d'Eze.

The AG2R La Mondiale rider was third overall when he last competed in Paris-Nice, using a fourth place on the Col d'Eze time trial to pull himself onto the podium, and is tipping that year's overall winner, Richie Porte, as the rider to beat this year.

Sanchez, Van Avermaet to headline BMC at Strade Bianche.

Former Olympic champion Samuel Sánchez will make his European debut with BMC Racing Saturday at Strade Bianche in support of three-time top-10 finisher Greg Van Avermaet.

Sánchez, who won the Olympic road race in 2008, was a late signing for the team and has competed only once so far this season in the red-and-black BMC kit, appearing on February 1 at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in Australia.

Quintana adds Romandie to early season campaign.

Nairo Quintana has returned to Spain from his home in Colombia as he prepares to kick off his 2015 European campaign at next week’s Tirreno-Adriatico.

The 2014 Giro d’Italia winner celebrated his 25th birthday at home on February 5 and clocked up some serious training rides with his brother Dayer and several fellow Colombian riders.

Movistar teammate Winner Anacona posted a photo of Quintana to Twitter, suggesting the Colombians had clocked up 222km and 3715m of climbing during a 7:40 ride.

2014-15 Races & Results.

Le Samyn - Mar 4 (History),

Le Samyn des Dames - Mar 4 (Results),

Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen - Mar 6-8 (Start List),

Strade Bianche Women - Mar 7 (Race),

Paris Nice - Mar 8-15 (Stages),

Tirreno-Adriatico - Mar 11-17 (Start List),

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),

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

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

More ...

Your training questions answered with Dig Deep Coaching: Part six.

Depending on the particular event you are aiming for you will need to gradually increase your training stress and this is done by both volume and intensity so you need to have these at an optimal level before you begin to taper.

Increasing only one of these (either volume training or higher-intensity training) on the final approach to your aim will leave you short in some part of your performance.

Bart Wellens retires from cyclo-cross.

Sagan leads Tinkoff-Saxo at Strade Bianche.

Sky nearing classics zenith with monuments approaching.

Kreuziger faces difficult defense based on WADA and CAS history.

Czech cyclist Roman Kreuziger faces a difficult legal battle to defend himself against accusations that he doped, based on past cases. Both the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirmed that an athlete has never won in appeal of a biological passport case.

WADA told VeloNews, “All passport cases brought before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) have resulted in sanctions.”

The sports high court in Lausanne, Switzerland, CAS, confirmed the same but noted that it reduced the ban of Turkish track and field athlete, Alemitu Bekele two years ago.

Report: Astana facing March 20 deadline for license defense.

The Astana team has until March 20 to prepare its defense and response to the UCI’s request to revoke its license according to a report in the l’Equipe newspaper.

The UCI formally requested that its License Commission revoke the Kazakhstan team’s WorldTour license after an audit by the Institute of Sport Sciences of the University of Lausanne (ISSUL) of the team’s anti-doping culture, policies, structures and management systems.

The UCI also claimed that it has now received important evidence from the Padua police investigation. This was not available when the UCI License Commission granted the Astana team a 2015 license in December.

Merckx’s Axeon team feeds top talent to WorldTour.

Axel Merckx has helped 18 cyclists — including Taylor Phinney and Joe Dombrowski — graduate to UCI WorldTeams over the last six years, a success rate he said is thanks to Axeon’s independence.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” Merckx told VeloNews. “It’s a formula that works, not for everyone but for a big majority of the guys out there.

“I’m really proud of the team, it’s something that we’ve built up over the years. I’m trying to keep it going as long as I can.”

The Belgian former professional and son of cycling great Eddy Merckx announced in December a new look to his team for 2015. Bissell stepped down from the title sponsorship and took a smaller role, and the team was rebranded as Axeon.

Axeon is not a company, but a name that Merckx wants to help establish in cycling.

News shorts: Boonen tax trial delayed, Fontana switches to the road for Strade Bianche.

The tax evasion case involving Tom Boonen and his Etixx-QuickStep team boss Patrick Lefevere has been postponed. The pair were due to appear in front of the council chambers in Kortrijk this Tuesday along with Trek Factory Racing racing Stijn Devolder and six other members of the Etixx team.

According to a report in the Dutch newspaper de Telegraaf, the lawyers have requested a delay in the proceedings so that they may be able to reach a settlement.

The trial is the result of an investigation that began in 2009. Boonen and his fellow defendants are believed to have used various financial schemes to avoid paying tax.

Top Ride: Strade Bianche.

This Saturday the 9th Strade Bianche heads off from San Gimignano to cross the ‘White Roads’ before finishing in the historic city of Siena. Our man in Italy, Alessandro Federico (and his bike), covered the last 20 kilometers to take in the final climbs and those dirt roads in his Tuscan homeland.

Despite its short story the Strade Bianche is already one of the most important races in the spring calendar and it’s the first big race in Italy, opening an important month.

March is full of cycling events with the WorldTour’s Tirreno Adriatico and the first of the historic classics: Milano Sanremo.

Specialized Power saddle review.

Specialized designed the Power for the purpose of being able to ride in a low, aggressive, aerodynamic position while staying comfortable and not restricting blood flow to the nether regions.

The most notable thing about the Power is that it appears to be a combination of many of Specialized’s existing Body Geometry saddles.

It bears the most resemblance to a Romin but with a shorter nose (by 30mm) and a more generous groove in the middle.

However, the widest part of the saddle measures the same as the Romin and comes in 143mm and 155mm sizes, going as wide as 168mm in the Expert and Comp models.

Home Wrench: Equipment for home mechanics.

"What you need depends on how much DIY you intend to be doing.

There may also be some cycling-specific tools that you should invest in before some of the items here.

The first thing you need is a well-lit, ventilated space with access to a power supply – that's a must for any home workshop.

Consider the space you have available and prioritize the most important things – tool storage, for example."

Spectator dies after Belgian feedzone crash.

Daily Distractions.

Steve Tilford: Bromont.

Is Women’s Cycling in for a Shake-Up?

When Marianne Vos didn’t win World Championships on the road, we were surprised.

When she didn’t win World Championships in the mud, we were downright shocked.

Sure, she was injured—an early season hamstring issue made her season suffer—but for those of us who have seen Vos dominate the women’s peloton in road and 'cross for the past few years, watching her take third place earlier this month felt like a changing of the guard.

Added to that, it was Vos’s teammate, 22-year-old Pauline Ferrand Prevot, who took both wins and is wearing the rainbow jerseys.

Johan Vansummeren: More needs to be done to improve safety after spectator death.

Belgian pro Johan Vansummeren, winner of the 2011 Paris-Roubaix, wants cycling’s governing body, the UCI, to strengthen its race safety measures after a spectator’s death on Sunday.

A rider collided with 54-year-old wife of ex-pro Ludwig Wynants while she was in the feed zone of the Brustem-Sint-Truiden race near Hasselt, Belgium.

She later died of her injuries.

American Putt ‘Shocked’ To Finish 8th At Le Samyn.

Along with the nine Europeans who crowded the top 10 at the semi-classic Le Samyn on Wednesday was 22-year-old Park City native Tanner Putt of UnitedHealthcare.

Tanner joined eight Belgians — including winner Kris Boeckmans — and a Frenchman to finish ahead of riders like 2014 Paris-Roubaix winner Niki Terpstra, Tour de France stage winner and compatriot Tyler Farrar, rising sprinting stars Giacomo Nizzolo and Bryan Coquard, and many others.

Stress Test: Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 long-term review.

Two years, over 10,000 miles, one conclusion: Shimano’s Dura-Ace 9000 mechanical group is the best human-powered drivetrain the world has ever seen.

If you’re a weight-weenie, look to SRAM, home of the best weight/cost ratio in the industry. If heritage and beauty are paramount, there can be nothing but Campagnolo and its striking carbon curves.

But if clever, precise engineering and absolutely flawless performance gets you flush in the face, Shimano Dura-Ace 9000 is the group for you.

One can argue cost/benefit ratios and aesthetics and personal ergonomic preferences until the cows come home, but to do so is to miss the point. In the 9000 drivetrain, Shimano has a kit so impeccable it rivals the company’s own electronic groups.

Shift performance — and that’s what really matters here — is in a class of its own.

Why not “Made in U.S.A.”?

There are a number of small companies who make bicycle components in the U.S., but they are often limited by the technology that is available to them.

For example, CNC machines are relatively affordable and small. That is the reason why you see so many CNC-machined cranks and brakes, even though forging would make them lighter and stronger. (CNC machining is a good way to make other parts, like hubs and headsets.)

CNC machining also is quite wasteful, as a lot of aluminum is turned into shavings.

In contrast, a forging hammer is an investment that only one bicycle company has amortized on their own: Shimano is said to forge their own components. All others, including industry leaders like Campagnolo and SRAM, do not run their own forge.

Cycliq Fly12 combines front light and Full-HD camera.

Shortly following the release of the new Fly6 rear light and safety camera, Cycliq has launched a Kickstarter campaign for the Fly12 –  a front facing headlight and HD camera.

Cycliq has announced an update to the yet-to-be-released Fly12. The Fly12 now features a bike alarm for cafe stops.

The Fly12 features a full HD 1080p front facing camera that will record at 45fps, and a 400 lumen headlight that Cycliq claims to offer 75 feet of visibility in complete darkness.

The light will feature three intensities in both solid and flashing modes.

Steve Tilford: Bromont’s Pathology was Bad.

Preview: Rich field set to race Paris-Nice.

Bouhanni looking to open 2015 account at Paris-Nice.