CyclingFans:Thursday's Giro del Trentino Stage 3 departs Pergine Coop. Piccoli Frutti at 10:45am CET (4:45am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Brenzone Punta Veleno at around 3:52pm CET (9:52am U.S. Eastern).  Giro del Trentino live streaming video should get underway at around 2:30pm CET (8:30am U.S. Eastern).

VeloNation: Phinney drops out of race lead, team-mate Frank takes over.

Peloton: Tony Martin's physical condition is improving. Levi Leipheimer is still suffering after fracturing his left leg's fibula.

IrishPeloton: Two days ago it was announced that the ‘A’ sample of Denis Galimzyanov of Team Katusha, taken on the 22nd March, had contained the performance enhancing drug EPO.Rather than the usual blind denials and wacky excuses that we have become accustomed to as cycling fans, Galimzyanov made the decision yesterday to confess and apologize.

Giro del Trentino - April 17-20 (Stages),
Liège - Bastogne - Liège - April 22 (Start list),
La Flèche Wallonne - April 18 (Results),
La Flèche Wallonne Féminine - April 18 (Results),
Amstel Gold Race - April 15 (Results),
Tour of the Battenkill - April 15 (Start list),
Giro d'Italia - May 5-27 (Stages),
Amgen Tour of California - May 13-20 (Stages),
Tour de France - June 30 - July 22 (Stages),
2012 Olympic Games - July 28 - August 12 (Races),
Vuelta a España - August 18 - September 9 (Stages),
More...

Chloe Hosking: "For the last 50 kilometres of [Monday's] bike race I kind of felt like that spoilt kid that gets everything done for them – but with one major difference, I actually felt bad. At one point when I was sitting behind Ellen and Clara as they charged forward chasing after the breakaway group I said to myself, 'Oh god, I better win with all the work they’re doing'”.

CyclingNews: Rabobank will return once more to the Amgen Tour of California, this time with climber Robert Gesink at the helm. The Dutch climber skipped the past two editions, but in each of his three prior participations, Gesink won the best young rider's jersey (2007, 2008 and 2009) and won stage 3 in San Jose in 2008.

VeloNation: Ardennes’ eternal second finally gets his win with a devastating attack on the Mur de Huy.

VeloNews: Twelfth in Brabantse Pijl, sixth in Amstel Gold, third at Flèche Wallonne: Philippe Gilbert is at least moving in the right direction.

RedKitePrayer: The superlatives fly about the Tour of the Battenkill: America’s biggest one-day road race, the toughest road race in the country, the greatest number of flat tires at a single cycling event. Since it began eight years ago, Tour of the Battenkill (originally called Battenkill-Roubaix) in upstate New York has skyrocketed both in attendance and attention.

Find it, reach it—and stay lean for life.

BikeRadar: The bike is a standard BMC impec carbon frame fitted with Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 electronic shifting and unbranded carbon wheels. The Lamborghini connection is brought in via the logo on the headtube, handmade suede saddle and handlebars, and airbrushed Lamborghini Argos Orange seat tube detail - the same colour as the Aventador LP 700-4.

BikeRadar verdict: 4.5 out of 5 stars. "Functionally equivalent to Dura-Ace – just heavier and much, much cheaper."

American does the seemingly impossible and outsprints Dutch champion on the Mur de Huy.

CompetitiveCyclist: This is Evgeni Berzin, circa 1996. Above is a photo of Berzin, circa 2011. While I was critical of Herbie Sykes' prolix writing style last week, I must praise him this time. His essay in Rouleur 28 about Berzin's current station in life is the saddest cycling tale you'll read this spring. The 1990's racing legend has become a bitter and bereft Fiat salesman.

BicycleRetailer: Specialized is working with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to recall about 600 Tektro brake levers used on some of the company's aero/time trial bikes and sold in the aftermarket.

VeloNation: Believes UCI’s rule is unfair and unenforceable.

“This is the style of racing I think suits me best. It’s incredibly satisfying, and maybe a little bit unexpected, but I will take it.”  - Alex Howes VeloNews

CXMagazine: The off-season isn’t really much of an off season for any of our serious women racers, as we found out in our last edition of Women’s Wednesday. We heard from racers like Kaitlin Antonneau, Christine Varadaros and Nicole Duke, and these speedy ladies have all already started racing their other season. Today, we have elite racers Genevieve Whitson and Frances Morrison weighing in.

BikeSnobNYC: A Certain Extent - A Short Jog Off A Long Island.