CyclingFans: Wednesday's Tour of the Basque Country Stage 3 departs Vitoria-Gasteiz at 1:05pm CET (7:05am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Eibar - Arrate at around 5:16pm CET (11:16am U.S. Eastern).  Tour of the Basque Country live streaming video should get underway at around 3:50pm CET (9:50am U.S. Eastern). 

EuroSport: The GreenEdge rider timed his move to perfection, just after the Flamme Rouge, and crossed the line comfortably ahead of team-mate Allan Davis and Davide Appollonio of Team Sky.

CyclingFans: Tuesday's Tour of the Basque Country Stage 2 departs Güeñes at 1:05pm CET (7:05am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Vitoria-Gasteiz at around 5:18pm CET (11:18am U.S. Eastern).  Tour of the Basque Country live streaming video should get underway at around 3:40pm CET (9:40am U.S. Eastern). 

CyclingNews: Defending Tour of Basque Country champion Andreas Klöden must bury his hopes of winning again this year. The RadioShack-Nissan rider lost over five minutes on the first stage not being at the top of his form following illnesses that prevented him from racing. The good news for the team however was Oliver Zaugg's escape attempt near the end of the race, and veteran Jens Voigt said he was pleased with the work he did on his suntan during the stage.

Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco - April 2-7 (Stages & results),
Scheldeprijs - April 4 (Start list),
Circuit Cycliste Sarthe - April 3-6 (Stages & results),
Tour of Flanders - Women - April 1 (Results),
Tour of Flanders - Men - April 1 (Results),
Cape Epic - March 25-April 1 (Races & results),
Paris - Roubaix - April 8 (Start list),
De Panne-Koksijde - March 27-29 (Stages & results),
Amgen Tour of California - May 13-20 (Stages ),
More...

RedKitePrayer: Classics purists weren’t happy when the promoters moved the finish to Oudenaarde, cut out the iconic Mur de Grammont (the “Muur”), and included instead three loops over the cobbled climbs of the Old Kwaremont and Paterberg. So for the first time in its 100-year history, the Ronde didn’t have a true point-to-point course. It was point-to-spiral.

PEZ: Sunday marked the apex of our time here in Oudenaarde. We've been here since the day before the Omloop, and we've had the unbelievable chance, perhaps a once in a lifetime chance for us, to be a part of the entire Spring Classics campaign in Flanders.

Pedal: Giambenini-Gauss grabbed the victory at the 133.25km Grand Prix de Dottignies in Mouscron.

Rotor Rings work! say Rotor Rings.

road.cc: Okay, not just them - a scientific study in the International Journal of Sports Science and Engineering.

BikeRumor: The Bike Snob is back in bookstores with a fresh book about commuting and the indignities we face as cyclists when drivers and pedestrians alike tend to think we’re evil incarnate.

CyclingIQ: A major milestone in India’s evolution as a professional cycling region was achieved on Saturday, 31 March in Bangalore, with the launch of the country’s first fully-sponsored professional cycling team; Specialized KYNKYNY. As Cycling iQ discovered, it’s a culmination of passion, vision, ambition, money and old-fashioned gut feel.

BikeRadar verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars. "A different take on the GPS computer that’s easy to use with neat features." Purchase the MOTOACTV 8 GB GPS Fitness Tracker and Music Player Here.

Video: Farrar and Klier Classics recovery ride.

CyclingNews: The Garmin-Barracuda duo of Tyler Farrar and Andreas Klier met up on Tuesday for a short recovery ride around the country lanes of Gent. The pair had ridden the Tour of Flanders on Sunday and with Scheldeprijs on Wednesday, the day’s ride revolved around a gentle spin, coffee and a friendly chit-chat.

VeloNation: Sprint decides first leader’s jersey in tough WorldTour event.

CyclingNews: Kenda/5-Hour Energy team leader Phil Gaimon, perhaps equally as well known for his quick wit as he is for his speed on the bike, took an indirect path to the top of the USA Cycling National Race Calendar standings.

Wednesday's Scheldeprijs departs Antwerp at 12:15pm CET (6:15am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Schoten at around 5:06pm CET (11:06am U.S. Eastern).  Scheldeprijs live streaming video should get underway at around 2:45pm CET (8:45am U.S. Eastern).

VeloNews: Tom Boonen aims to push towards Paris-Roubaix on Sunday and avoid any risks tomorrow in the Scheldeprijs. “I’m not going for the win.”

VeloNation: 51.5km of cobbles in total for the 110th Enfer du Nord.

CyclingNews: BMC has announced its line up for Paris-Roubaix with American Taylor Phinney the biggest inclusion from the team’s Tour of Flanders squad. Phinney replaces Philippe Gilbert, who will concentrate on his Ardennes campaign.

EuroSport: The Katusha rider prevailed in a mass sprint after a failed breakaway by team-mate Mikhail Ignatiev on the 192.8km stage.

CyclingFans: Tuesday's Circuit Cycliste Sarthe Stage 1 departs Saint Gilles Croix de Vie at 11:10am CET (5:10am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Riaille at around 4:05pm CET (10:05am U.S. Eastern).

VeloNation: Says wife’s pregnancy helps him cope with setback of injury.

VeloNews: Forget Armstrong vs. Contador in 2009. Forget Boonen vs. Cancellara in the spring classics — at least after last weekend, anyway, where the latter broke his collarbone at the Tour of Flanders. No, the ultimate expression of mano-a-mano cycling pugilism is set to take place this week at the 2012 UCI Track World Championships, from April 4-8.

VeloNation: GreenEdge sprinter speaks to VeloNation about his health problems of 2012 after abandoning halfway through the Ronde van Vlaanderen.

BikeRadar: Mild weather prompted teams and riders to stick to rather conventional gear once again for this year's Tour of Flanders, with just a few concessions made for the tricky cobbled climbs.

Today's Quote

“I am happy to be alive — absolutely. At first I was in shock. Then I was thinking, ‘now I am going to be hurt for the race.’ Then I thought, ‘maybe I cannot race at all.’ Then I thought, ‘I could be dead right now.’ I can feel for all those people who have been involved in accidents.” - Levi Leipheimer VeloNews

Bicycling: How to find the right frame and make adjustments for endless comfort.

CXMagazine: The North American Handmade Bicycle Show continued its increasingly successful run with what many exhibitors at the Sacramento Convention Center for the annual show, March 2-4, regarded as the most vibrant and well attended in the event’s eight-year history.

 

VeloNation: Says there were clear differences to usual biological passport profile.

VeloNation: Claims anti-doping system doesn’t work properly.

VeloNation: Anti-doping expert believes experts must have freedom of speech.

Cyclismas: Following on the heels of Michael Ashenden’s resignation from the biological passport panel, the remaining panel members have been summarily dismissed by the UCI in favor of a group of experts with a “vast pool of expertise to catch the cheats.”

VeloNews: France has the admirable problem of being forced to select just one of the top two track sprinters in the world for its 2012 Olympic team.

VeloNation: World champion's first child born Tuesday evening.

Peloton: "I'm not fast and maybe I never will be. But I am fit. I can amble up climbs without imploding. I can roll out and sit in with boys. My recovery rides are two hours long with a couple thousand feet of climbing. I feel good on the bike. I want to ride all the time."

CyclingWeekly: Going well beyond a bit of nip and tuck to tweak an existing concept Trek's new Domane (pronounced Do-man-i, like Armani) is a more radical approach in search of the Holy Grail - comfort without cost to performance.

BikeRumor: I’ve had Smith’s Spoiler sunglasses for about 10 months now and have rocked them for both road and mountain biking all over the place, from the mountains to the forests to bright, unshaded pavement.

BikeRadar verdict: 5 out of 5 stars. "A great pump, especially for high-pressure use."

RBAction: Although sometimes unavoidable, toe overlap can be tricky to deal with at slow speeds and U-turns. Remembering to keep your foot forward in the direction that you’re turning will keep your foot and wheel from contacting.

CyclingNews: Fresh from a 200 kilometre stint off the front at the Tour of Flanders at the weekend, Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Barracuda) returns to the fray on Wednesday at Scheldeprijs, the Belgian semi-classic he won two years ago.

BrowneEye: Check out the spectator that gets spun around by Sebastian Langeveld. He steps away from the crash like he wasn’t involved. He starts to approach Langeveld, but then turns around and returns to his group.