Porte holds off Valverde ...

Richie Porte seals victory as Alejandro Valverde takes Catalunya finale ...

Volta a Catalunya: Porte secures overall success.

Richie Porte’s magnificent spring showed no sign of finishing on Sunday as the recent Paris-Nice winner and Team Sky rider added a second WorldTour stage race victory to his 2015 palmares at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya.

The Volta’s final 126.6-kilometre stage, featuring eight ascents through Montjuic Park on a 6.4-lap circuit, ended with a third win in the week-long event for Alejandro Valverde at the head of a front group of around 40 riders.

Meintjes wins finale stage 4 ...

Meintjes takes it all on final day in Coppi e Bartali.

Louis Meintjes took the biggest victory of his short career when he turned the Settimana Coppi e Bartali on its head on the hilly final stage of the race. With a big attack on the penultimate climb, he distanced his rivals and held on to take a solo victory and the overall win with a small 2-second advantage over previous leader Ben Swift.

When he finished second at the 2013 U23 World Championships, Meintjes indicated that he is destined for a great future and last year he confirmed his potential when he finished in the top 10 in the Giro del Trentino and got close to a stage win in the Vuelta a Espana.

Earlier this year he finished in the top 5 in the Tour of Oman and so it was only a question of time before he would take his first big win in Europe.

Cancellara and Boonen must focus on Richmond Worlds, says Museeuw.

Before the injured Fabian Cancellara departed Belgium on Saturday afternoon, his classics campaign over before it had truly begun, Johan Museeuw made a point of visiting the Weinebrugge Hotel to offer his sympathy.

Cancellara’s crash at E3 Harelbeke left him with two fractured vertebrae and denies him the chance to set an outright record of four Tour of Flanders victories next Sunday.

His plight is not an altogether unfamiliar one for his fellow three-time winner Museeuw, who risked losing his career – and his leg – when he fractured his kneecap in a fall in the Arenberg forest at the 1998 Paris-Roubaix.

Ty Magner wins NCC opener crown ...

Hannah Barnes wins womans race ...

NCC's Sunny King Criterium.

The USA Cycling National Criterium Calendar (NCC) will kick off with the Sunny King Criterium on March 28 in Anniston, Alabama, with the Women's Pro 1/2 race starting at 6:20pm (CDT) followed by the Men's Pro 1 race at 7:30pm (CDT).

Carlos Alzate and Coryn Rivera took the wins in 2014 Sunny King Criterium. At the end of last season, Erica Allar secured the NCC's overall title in the women's category and Luke Keough won the overall men's title.

In addition, Colavita-Bianchi won the women's overall team classification and UnitedHealthcare took the men's overall team classification.

Cyclists ‘healthier and less stressed’, says new Cyclescheme report.

Cyclists are drinking and smoking less, eating better and experiencing less workplace stress, according to a new report from cycle-to-work provider Cyclescheme.

The ‘Cycling 10:10’ report, which took data from 10,000 cycle commuters, looked at the progress of the UK as a cycling nation over the past decade.

It found that alcohol consumption among cyclists had dropped by nearly a third, tobacco intake by 20% and that nearly half those surveyed had improved their diet.

The report also identified an increase in commuting by bike, with around 7% of the working population now doing so and two thirds of those admitting that they are now addicted to their machines.

2014-15 Races & Results.

Volta Ciclista a Catalunya - Mar 23-29 (Results),

Gent - Wevelgem - Mar 29 (Start List),

Gent - Wevelgem Women - Mar 29 (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),

E3 Harelbeke - Mar 27 (Results),

Tour de Taiwan - Mar 21-25 (Results),

Milan San Remo - Mar 22 (Results),

Nokere Koerse - Mar 18 (Results),

Tirreno-Adriatico - Mar 11-17 (Results),

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

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

More ...

2015 Three Days of De Panne LIVE.

Tuesday's Three Days of De Panne Stage 1 departs De Panne at 11:55am CET (5:55am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Zottegem at around 4:48pm CET (10:48am U.S. Eastern). 

Three Days of De Panne live streaming video should get underway at around 2:40pm CET (8:40am U.S. Eastern, 5:40am Pacific).

Volta a Catalunya: Chernetski wins stage 6 in Port Aventura.

Sergei Chernetski won stage 6 of the Volta a Catalunya on the streets of Port Aventura on Saturday. The Russian rider out-sprinted Julian Alaphilippe and Maciej Paterski. The trio were involved in a 21-rider breakaway that successfully made it to the finish line ahead of the main group of overall contenders.

Richie Porte continues to lead the overall classification by five seconds ahead of Domenico Pozzovivo as the race heads into the finale stage 7 on Sunday.

‘By mutual agreement’ ...

Bjarne Riis Ousted ...

Tinkoff-Saxo and Riis part ways.

The Tinkoff-Saxo team has announced that former team owner and current team manager Bjarne Riis will leave the team with immediate effect after an alleged falling out with team owner Oleg Tinkov.

“Tinkoff Sport A/S - Managing company of team Tinkoff Saxo - and Bjarne Riis have reached a mutual agreement to terminate all contracts entered between Tinkoff Sport A/S and Bjarne Riis with immediate effect,” a statement issued by the team said.

“All terms of said agreement shall remain confidential and both parties shall abstain from making any further comment. Early next week, Tinkoff Saxo will announce, in a separate statement, the new structure of its technical and performance group.”

Videos ...

Peraud wins overall title at Criterium International.

Jean-Christophe Peraud soloed to the finale stage 3 victory at the Criterium International on the Col de l'Ospedale on Sunday. He won the race by 15 seconds ahead of runner-up Pierrick Fedrigo and by an additional second ahead of third placed Thibaut Pinot.

Peraud also sealed the overall title at the three-day event ahead of Pinot by 10 seconds. Stage 2 time trial winner Fabio Felline finished in third overall, 18 seconds back.

Lizzie Armitstead wins Trofeo Binda to move into World Cup lead ...

Lizzie Armitstead wins Trofeo Alfredo Binda.

Lizzie Armitstead won the Trofeo Alfredo Binda in Italy on Sunday, the second round of the 2015 UCI Women’s World Cup.

The 26-year-old Briton took the victory from a six-rider lead group, winning the sprint ahead of world champion Pauline Ferrand-Prevot in second and Anna Van Der Breggen.

The tough route in the Italian province of Varese includes five main climbs on its 123.7-kilometer route. Last year, Armitstead finished as runner-up to Swede Emma Johansson.

Contador: My crash made me suffer.

With the conclusion of Volta a Catalunya, Tinkoff-Saxo can look back on a week of challenging racing with sickness and a hard crash, which ultimately ended with a 4th place overall for Alberto Contador. The team captain now focuses on recovering from his crash and continuing his preparations ahead of the big goal of Giro d’Italia
 
As Alejandro Valverde won the last stage and took the honors, Contador moved out of the podium places and into 4th in the overall GC. According to Contador himself, he was affected by his stage 6 crash.

Etixx-QuickStep clarify Cavendish’s Milan-San Remo chain problems.

The Etixx-QuickStep team has told Cyclingnews that Mark Cavendish’s mechanical problem during Milan-San Remo was not the same as the problem the Manxman suffered during the sprint finish of stage 2 of Tirreno-Adriatico in Cascina.

Rolf Aldag, the Sport and Development manager of the Etixx-QuickStep pointed out that Cavendish lost his chain while changing from the small chain ring to the big chain ring, while the Tirreno-Adriatico accident did not involve a gear change and occurred as Cavendish seemed to push on the pedals as he began his sprint.

“In my opinion it’s important not to confuse two different incidents,” Aldag said. “Cavendish was shifting up from the small chainring to the big chainring on the less steep road, close to the top of the Cipressa and for some reason his chain came off, it over shifted."

Sagan struggling without reason.

After a disappointing E3 Harelbeke, many are wondering what has happened to Peter Sagan. Even his own team are beginning to think that something is going wrong with the Slovakian star.

“It’s shit because in that group of three he should’ve been the fastest,” Tinkoff sports director, Tristan Hoffman told VeloNews.

“He was so disappointed. Then, to make it worse, [the] whole group passes him.”

Hoffman explained that despite not doing anything drastic once he made the final trio, Sagan all of a sudden felt empty with nothing left.

“He hadn’t done anything crazy on the front, but suddenly he went empty,” Hoffman added. “Of course, he was one hour at his maximum to stay on the front and that’s how it is.”

Boasson Hagen out of the classics with broken clavicle.

Sad news for MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung's classics captain Edvald Boasson Hagen.

The Norwegian sustained a distal fracture of his right clavicle in a crash at the Moeren part of today's Gent-Wevelgem. He will miss out on the upcoming monuments such as the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

Felline and Jungels make it a 1-2 for Trek in Corsica time trial.

Fabio Felline proved that he is much more than a fast finisher and solid climber when he took a surprise win in the Criterium International. The Italian beat his teammate Bob Jungels by a single second on the 7km course while Manuele Boaro was one second further back in third.

Ben King did well to take 19th and defend his overall lead.

Daily Distractions.

PodiumCafe: Women's Sunday Racing.

AeroGeeks: 3-29-2015 WiR.

Videos: 2015 Trofeo Binda, Trofeo da Moreno and Gent-Wevelgem.

Video: Degenkolb poised to defend Gent-Wevelgem title.

Videos ...

Photos ...

Paolini’s Perfect Performance! ...

Luca Paolini overpowers his rivals and the weather ...

Paolini wins Gent-Wevelgem.

Luca Paolini took a solo win at Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday.

The Italian escaped a breakaway late in the race and took the win ahead of chasers Niki Terpstra and Geraint Thomas.

Gent – Wevelgem 2015 Elite Women ...

Floortje Mackaij wins a wet and windy Gent-Wevelgem.

Floortje Mackaij escaped in the final three kilometers to win the women’s edition of Gent-Wevelgem in treacherous conditions. Crossing the line with a seven second margin over Janneke Ensing and Chloe Hosking who finished second and third respectively.

One of the rising stars of Dutch cycling, Mackaij has just begun her second full season racing at the top level. She’s become known for her aggressive racing style and already has a string of national level victories from her short racing career but Gent-Wevelgem is by far her biggest win to date.

Canny victory ...

The Moment The Race Was Won: Gent-Wevelgem.

Luca Paolini goes solo in the final kilometers, his breakaway rivals only a murky blur behind. He was dropped over the Kemmelberg but kept chasing and eventually latched on to the small group of riders chasing Jurgen Roelandts.

Hiding among giants Paolini emerged in the finish with a sneaky seated attack to catch Etixx-Quickstep out once again.

Geraint Thomas blown off the road in Ghent-Wevelgem.

Sky’s Geraint Thomas explained that he was lucky to survive this successful round of Belgian races, winning the E3 Harelbeke on Friday and placing third in Ghent-Wevelgem today.

With less than 60 kilometers to race in the 239-kilometre classic, a gust of wind pushed Thomas off the road and onto the grass shoulder

The Welshman known simply as ‘G’ bounced back after a crash late into the Ghent-Wevelgem classic. He fought for the win and finished in good position for the upcoming monuments, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

Ghent-Wevelgem in the rain a love/hate affair for Rowe and Dowsett.

Racing in Belgium is like Marmite, according to Alex Dowsett, and while he is not a big fan of racing on the wet cobbles Team Sky’s Luke Rowe is at the other end of the spectrum.

Dowsett and Rowe shared an embrace in the sign-in area before Ghent-Wevelgem kicked off in Deinze, having both been drenched from the two-minute pedal over from their team buses parked around the corner.

While Movistar’s Dowsett, in just his third race back from a broken collarbone suffered in January, was visibly miserable, Rowe approached his fellow Brit positively beaming at the prospect of riding 240km in the pouring rain.

Cannondale-Garmin looks to younger riders with Sebastian Langeveld out.

It’s the hour of the young pups. Cannondale-Garmin vows to march on across the northern classics despite losing their captain, Sebastian Langeveld, who crashed heavily in Friday’s E3 Prijs Harelbeke.

The team was quietly confident the 30-year-old Dutchman was going to be a contender throughout Flanders Week. Eighth in last year’s Paris-Roubaix, when he rode into the winning group, and fifth in the 2011 Tour of Flanders, Cannondale-Garmin was hitching its hopes on Langeveld.

On Friday, he was among several riders who crashed early, including Fabian Cancellara, and suffered a deep, knee contusion and bone bruise on the tibia. Team officials are unsure if he will be able to recover in time for the looming monuments.

Crash puts Steve Abraham's Year record attempt in jeopardy.

Steve Abraham's attempt to beat Tommy Godwin's record for riding the longest distance in a year could be over after he broke two bones in an ankle following a collision with a moped today near Wellington, Somerset.

Abraham, who is based in Milton Keynes, is attempting to break Godwin's record of 75,065 miles, set in 1939.

As of Friday, he was more than 2,600 miles ahead of Godwin's pace.

Podcast: Titanium frame builder Kent Eriksen; Mountain Bike Hall of Famer Ned Overend.

Video: The Week in Bike #62 – Plus Ça Change.

Alex Peters moves into Tour de Normandie lead.

Britain’s Alex Peters moved into the Tour de Normandie race lead in Martinvast this afternoon, despite missing out on the chance to win its penultimate stage following a final corner crash.

Peters was visibly upset not to have claimed the biggest win of his career to date at the end of a 169.5-kilometer stage held in wet and windy conditions.