Paris-Nice: Kristoff wins bunch sprint in Contres.

Alexander Kristoff cruised in to win the sprint of the first stage of Paris-Nice, easily leaving Nacer Bouhanni and Bryan Coquard behind him. The Norwegian had a clear bike length lead over this followers as he crossed the finish line in Contres.

John Degenkolb and Michael Matthews had picked up points at the first intermediate sprint early on, and the bonus seconds would have allowed them to take the yellow jersey with a stage win.

Degenkolb was the first to go in the sprint, however, he went into the wind too early and didn’t even finish in the top 10 on the day, but he did move up to fourth overall.

How “struggling” Tour of Ireland got Lance for free when other races paid $1 million fee.

The major new Cycling Independent Reform Commission report, published in the early hours of this morning, has set out in great detail the circumstances under which Lance Armstrong came to ride the Tour of Ireland pro race in 2009.

The report has linked the UCI allowing Armstrong return to the sport 13 days before his doping quarantine period was served with his agreeing to ride the race that Pat McQuaid’s friends and family members were involved in.

The report says at a time when the Tour Down Under was paying the American $1 million per year to ride its race, there was no fee for him to ride the Tour of Ireland.

This was despite the fact it was a struggling, small three-day event.

Statement from Hein Verbruggen.

Former UCI president Hein Verbruggen, one of the key figures in the the UCI’s Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) report, issued a statement Monday in response to the report’s findings.

The sweeping, well-documented 227-page report touches on many subjects, but more than half of its contents are directed at the inner workings of the UCI and allegations leveled against former presidents Hein Verbruggen (1991-2005) and Pat McQuaid (2005-13).

The report stops short of calling out corruption and bribery charges in the most illicit cases, but it didn’t pull any punches, either. CIRC portrays Verbruggen’s world as a dark, confrontational, and deceptive world.

Verbruggen saw the potential to reshape the sport’s image in the 1990s following a string of doping scandals, and began a close relationship with Lance Armstrong, helping to sell the idea of a “Tour of Renewal” in the Texan’s 1999 comeback Tour.

UCI hindered anti-doping efforts but no corruption charges.

If you were hoping for lurid revelations to emerge from the Cycling Independent Commission’s report into cycling’s doping culture and allegations of corruption at the UCI, then you might be out of luck.

The more than 200 page report is a small step towards understanding the incredibly complex narrative that is, as it put it, cycling’s former ‘endemic doping culture’, as well as consistent allegations of corruption and failures of governance within cycling’s governing body, the UCI.

Lampre-Merida leave MPCC due to Ulissi case.

Due to the Diego Ulissi case, Lampre-Merida have decided to leave the Movement for a Credible Cycling (MPCC).

Ulissi is allowed to return to competition on March 25 when his suspension after a positive Salbutamol test from the Giro d'Italia expires.

MPCC rules prevent Lampre-Merida from signing a rider for two years after the end of his suspension but as he already has an existing contract with the team, Lampre-Merida have seen a conflict between the two set of rules.

ASO announces wild cards from Fleche Wallonne and Liege.

Twenty-five cycling teams have been selected to take part to the 79th edition of theFlèche Wallonne (April 22nd 2015) and to the 101th edition of Liège Bastogne Liège (April 26th 2015).

Along with the 17 WorldTour teams that are obliged to compete, ASO has selected eight wildcard teams that will line up at each race.

Six of those team will be competing in both races, including Cofidis, MTN-Qhubeka, Team Europcar, Team Roompot, Topsport Vlaanderen Baloise and Wanty-Groupe Gobert.

2014-15 Races & Results.

Paris Nice - Mar 8-15 (Stages & Results),

Le Tour de Langkawi - Mar 8-15 (Stages & Results),

Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen - Mar 6-8 (Stages & Results),

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),

Strade Bianche - Mar 7 (Results),

Strade Bianche Women - Mar 7 (Results),

Le Samyn - Mar 4 (Results),

Le Samyn des Dames - Mar 4 (Results),

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 ...

2015 Paris-Nice LIVE.

Tuesday's Paris-Nice Stage 2 departs ZooParc de Beauval - Saint-Aignan at 11:30am CET (6:30am U.S. Eastern) and is expected to finish at Saint-Amand-Montrond at around 3:50pm CET (10:50am U.S. Eastern).

Paris-Nice live streaming video should get underway at around 2:00pm CET (9:00am U.S. Eastern, 6:00am Pacific)..

Paris-Nice Stage 1 Preview.

Paris-Nice: Kwiatkowski wins prologue.

‘Disappointed’ Froome to miss Tirreno-Adriatico with chest infection.

2013 Tour de France winner Chris Froome will miss the Tirreno-Adriatico stage race this week in Tuscany due to a chest infection.

“Still not feeling well so won’t be making it to #TirrenoAdriatico2015,” the Brit wrote on Twitter. “Really disappointed but health comes first! Time for some R&R…”

Froome made his 2015 debut in the Ruta del Sol stage race last month and won the overall title. The week-long Tirreno-Adriatico, which starts Wednesday, was due to be part of his Tour de France build-up.

Tour rivals Alberto Contador, Vincenzo Nibali, and Nairo Quintana will participate in the race that travels east from Lido di Camaiore to San Benedetto del Tronto, March 11-17.

Neo-pro Ewan in the spotlight at Tour de Langkawi.

The cycling world may have been tuned into Europe this past weekend with Strade Bianche and Paris-Nice taking center stage, but all eyes are focused on Australian neo-pro Caleb Ewan at the 20th edition of the Tour de Langkawi.

After two stages, Ewan is sitting second on general classification behind race leader and Langkawi’s all-time leading stage winner (16) Andrea Guardini, who has out-sprinted Ewan to claim the first two stages.

Tirreno-Adriatico TTT changed to ITT due to weather.

Tirreno-Adriatico organizers announced Monday that the race’s team time trial will be scrapped in favor of a 5.7km individual TT.

Due to the extreme weather conditions that have affected Tuscany and in particular the area around Camaiore, RCS Sport said it was necessary to modify the first stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, scheduled for Wednesday, March 11.

The team time trial was originally slated to run 22.7km around the Lido di Camaiore, just northwest of Lucca, Italy.

Strong winds knocked down trees along the route, the Movistar team said on Twitter.

Report details Lance Armstrong's 'special relationship'.

In an effort to rationalize his rampant cheating, Lance Armstrong has been telling a compelling story.

He has said he did it to stay competitive because so many cyclists were doing the same.

It was a "level playing field," he said.

But a report released Sunday challenges that description. Compiled by the Cycling Independent Reform Commission, the report describes a sport in which Armstrong had a "special relationship" with the people in charge of international cycling, unlike other riders.

2015 Tour de Langkawi LIVE.

Tuesday's Tour de Langkawi Stage 3 departs Gerik at 12:00pm local (5:00am CET, 12:00am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Tanah Merah at around 3:43pm local (8:43am CET, 3:43am U.S. Eastern). 

Tour de Langkawi live streaming should begin at around 3pm local (8:00am CET, 3:00am U.S. Eastern).

Strava launches Apple Watch application.

At Apple’s Spring Forward launch event on March 9, the Apple Watch was officially unveiled.

Strava is one of the select group of third-party developers that will offer applications for the new device.

Its new app will take advantage of the watch’s fitness functions. When the new application update is available, the Apple Watch will allow cyclists to see basic ride and run metrics on their wrists.

Results at the end of a ride or run will be instantly summarized and displayed on the watch, and for multi-sport athletes, the watch will allow you to quickly toggle the Strava application between cycling and running.

Pinarello’s Flagship Dogma F8 Reviewed.

Built with the singular purpose of delivering Chris Froome to the Champs-Elysées wearing his second yellow jersey the new Pinarello Dogma F8 is not just another bike.

After Froome won the Tour in 2013 onboard the Dogma 65.1 Think 2, Fausto Pinarello and his army of engineers had their work cut out to create something truly special for his defense.

Although by now we all know the results of the crash marred 2014 Tour the results of the 8th generation Dogma didn’t follow that same trajectory.

Andrea Guardini wins kickoff to 2015 Tour de Langkawi .

Andrea Guardini continued his hot streak on Sunday, avoiding a crash with a kilometer to go and out-sprinting neopro Caleb Ewan and Anuar Manan to win stage 1 of the Tour de Langkawi.

Daily Distractions.

PEZ: EuroTrash Stybar Monday!

Steve Tilford: Nibali, Vino, Astana, CIRC.

Lance Armstrong to be given opportunity to plead his case for reduction of lifetime ban.

Lance Armstrong will be given an opportunity to plead for a reduction in his lifetime ban, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.

Brian Cookson, the president of the UCI, revealed on Monday that he had been asked to broker a meeting between the disgraced American and the United States Anti-Doping Agency in the wake of cycling's independent report into doping.

On a day of high drama, which saw former presidents Hein Verbruggen and Pat McQuaid both come out swinging in the wake of the report's findings that they were complicit in encouraging a culture of doping, Armstrong's name was mostly noticeable by its absence.

Boonen abandons Paris-Nice after crash.

In what could be a blow to his Spring Classics campaign, Tom Boonen crashed during stage 1 of Paris-Nice today, abandoning the race with what appeared to an injured shoulder.

The peloton was chasing a two-rider breakaway about 20km from the finish when Boonen, riding near the rear of the peloton, touched wheels with the rider in front of him and fell on his left shoulder. A Cannondale-Garmin rider also went down in the crash.

The team has not yet released information about the three-time Paris-Roubaix winner’s injuries, but Boonen landed hard on his shoulder and was cradling his left arm as he sat on the ground waiting for medical attention.

CIRC report: The reactions.

Travis T. Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency:

“We welcome the report of the Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) initiated by new UCI President Brian Cookson to address revelations of widespread doping and allegations of UCI’s complicity in allowing this fraudulent culture to persist.

“The report confirms that, for more than a decade, UCI leaders treated riders and teams unequally — allowing some to be above the rules.

The UCI’s favoritism and intentional failure to enforce the anti-doping rules offends the principles of fair play and is contrary to the values on which true sport is based."

Brian Cookson tells Hein Verbruggen to resign.

UCI president Brian Cookson will request the resignation of Hein Verbruggen as an honorary president of cycling's governing body in the wake of revelations of complicity and gross mismanagement under the Dutchman's watch at the UCI.

The Englishman, reacting to the Cycling Independent Reform Commission [CIRC] report which claimed that doping was still rife in the peloton, admitted that he felt the 227-page document was a "pretty accurate" reflection of where cycling is right now.

Contador given favorable treatment by UCI after 2010 Tour de France doping positive.

Within the 228-page Cycling Independent Reform Commission (CIRC) report is the finding that there was no evidence behind the allegations of the UCI covering up Alberto Contador's positive test for clenbuterol at the 2010 Tour de France.

The report did find inconsistency with how the case was dealt with and that Contador received favorable treatment by the governing body.

While WADA enforces "minimum levels on WADA-accredited laboratories" the CIRC report found that the testing capabilities was a reason behind the unequal treatment of athletes samples, highlighted by Contador's 2010 positive test.

The CIRC report investigated the allegation that the UCI had covered up the test until German television station ARD announced the details of the positive test.

2015 Tirreno-Adriatico LIVE.

Tirreno-Adriatico LIVE starting Wednesday, March 11th through the 17th.

Stage 1 starts at 2:00pm CET (9:00am U.S. Eastern).

Finish at around 4:10pm CET (11:10am U.S. Eastern).

Live video from 2:30pm CET (9:30am U.S. Eastern, 6:30am Pacific).