Videos ...

Solos to the win ...

Ben Hermans blasts away to Brabantse Pijl victory ...

Hermans holds off pack for Brabantse Pijl win.

Ben Hermans held off the chasers with a huge effort on the final climb to win De Brabantse Pijl- La Flèche Brabançonne.

The Belgian race traditionally marks the switch from the cobbled Classics to the Ardennes Classics and the tough, twisting final circuits usually inspire some aggressive racing.

Hermans was in a late attack with David Tanner that seemed doomed to be caught but he dug deep and managed to win alone, as the chasers scrambled for the placings. Michael Matthews tried to lead out the sprint in pursuit of Hermans but could only finish second.

2014 winner and perhaps the BMC team leader for the race, finished third. Tony Gallopin was fourth and Davide Rebellin was fifth.

Videos ...

Grand Prix de Denain Porte du Hainaut LIVE.

Thursday's GP de Denain departs Denain at 11:30am CET (5:30am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Denain at around 3:57pm CET (9:57am U.S. Eastern). 

GP de Denain live streaming video should get underway at around 2:00pm CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern, 5:00am Pacific).

PEZ Preview: Amstel Gold Race ...

Amstel Gold Race 2015 preview.

The first of the three Ardennes Classics takes place this weekend, with the peloton heading to the Netherlands for the 50th edition of the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday, April 19.

This is one of the biggest races of the spring, and, as the only exclusively Dutch race in the WorldTour, is the leading Netherlands race in the calendar.

Orica-GreenEdge looks to continue classics momentum in Ardennes.

Hot off its best-ever cobblestoned classics result, with Jens Keukeleire’s sixth-place finish at Paris-Roubaix, Aussie outfit Orica-GreenEdge rolls into the Ardennes classics with renewed confidence.

The team will carry momentum from the Roubaix performance into the Ardennes, where it has traditionally done very well. Simon Gerrans, who is back from an injury, is the defending champion at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Gerrans, however, is still riding into form, and Orica will be backing Michael Matthews for Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race.

Peter Sagan: In Slovakia, my private life is nonexistent.

Three-time Tour de France green jersey winner Peter Sagan opens up about travel, Twitter, tricks and meeting his girlfriend.

We sat down with Tinkoff-Saxo's Sagan during the Tour of Qatar in February, to find out more about the man behind three Tour de France green jersey victories.

2014-15 Races & Results.

De Brabantse Pijl - Apr 15 (Start List),

Amstel Gold Race - Apr 19 (History),

Giro del Trentino - Apr 21-24 (History),

Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey - Apr 26-May 3 (History),

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),

Paris Roubaix - Apr 12 (Results),

Vuelta Ciclista al Pais Vasco - Apr 6-11 (Results),

Circuit Cycliste Sarthe - Apr 7-10 (Results),

Scheldeprijs - Apr 8 (Results),

Tour of Flanders - Apr 5 (Results),

GP Miguel Indurain - Apr 4 (Results),

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

More...

Getting to the Root of It: USA Cycling’s Arborist Report Disputes Heritage Tree Impact.

USA Cycling hired Patrick Wentworth as a consulting arborist to study the impact the 2015 Cyclocross National Championships had at Zilker Park in Austin. The report is now complete, and has been released to the public.

Wentworth’s report largely disputes the city’s assertion that more than 50 trees were negatively impacted, and questions the city’s recommended approaches to restoring the soil and assisting the trees.

The main testing method to verify the impact of the race was a soil probe to measure soil compaction, with measurements under 200 psi considered acceptable. Most measurements were between 100 and 150 psi.

Tour de Yorkshire 2015 Live Dashboard ...

2015 Tour de Yorkshire LIVE video stream.

 2015 Tour de Yorkshire LIVE May 1-3, Great Britain.

Stage 1 starts at -- BST (-- U.S. Eastern). Finish at around -- BST (-- U.S. Eastern).

Live video from -- BST (-- U.S. Eastern).

Traingate: The oldest story in cycling ...

Pour Encourager Les Autres ...

Paolini speaks out about the Paris Roubaix train incident.

Italy’s Luca Paolini has spoken out about the level crossing incident during Sunday’s Paris-Roubaix, insisting that rider safety should always be a priority and that trains should be stopped for such an important race.

The 38-year-old Katusha rider and recent Gent-Wevelgem winner took to Twitter late on Monday night to give his opinion. Paolini has often taken a stand for rider safety.

He is not an official rider representative but is respected for his experience and consideration for rider and race safety.

Can he be Stopped? ...

Gilbert back to defend title at Brabantse Pijl.

With John Degenkolb and the rest of the cobble-bashers cooling their jets following two weeks of hard racing across the pavé, a different profile of rider steps to center stage — leaner, lighter, and faster for when the grade pitches upward. It’s time to switch gears into the Ardennes classics.

A Change of Gear.

The Brabantse Pijl happens today. La Flèche Brabançonne to francophones, this is a hilly race and the start of the “Ardennes” spring classics and a transition race from the cobbles to the climbs as it features both.

It’s good to change format but the upcoming races seem to be stuck in a rut with repetitive scenarios.

It’s always good to change and after weeks of cobbled classics and flat routes, now the big one day races start to climb and we’ll see plenty of new names in action like Philippe Gilbert, Michael Matthews, Michał Kwiatkowski in action against Vincenzo Nibali, Nairo Quintana and Chris Froome, especially as the revised route of the Flèche-Wallonne will mimic the route of the Tour de France’s third stage.

Liège-Bastogne-Liège is the hilliest with enough vertical gain to rival a stage of the Tour de France.

Stetina vows to make full recovery from Pais Vasco crash.

After 10 days of being bed-ridden in a Spanish hospital, American Peter Stetina is itching to get home and get started on recovering from his dramatic crash on the first stage of the Vuelta al Pais Vasco.

On Friday, he will get his wish, getting the dubious honor of flying business class because his broken leg and shattered kneecap prevent him from being able to bend his knee.

He is due to arrive in Salt Lake City on Saturday, where he will begin the process of rebuilding his strength and re-starting his career as a professional cyclist.

"I'm finally past the point of the intense pain, and now every day is exponentially better," Stetina told Cyclingnews from his hospital bed in Bilbao, the same town in which his last race day came to a sudden halt when the bunch sprint plowed into two unobstructed waist-high posts in what appears to be an egregious lack of precautions by the race organizers.

Cycling’s “Holy Grail” ...

Tangled history of an iconic feat ...

Lee Valley VeloPark, London is location ...

Wiggins schedules hour record attempt for June 7.

Bradley Wiggins has scheduled his next target, the hour record. After racing Paris-Roubaix on Sunday, the Englishman will attempt to break the 52.491-kilometer mark June 7 in London’s Olympic velodrome.

Team Wiggins, the new Continental team the 34-year-old cyclist formed, announced the date on Twitter Wednesday. It did not give a time, but said that tickets will be available for purchase starting Friday.

The message also showed Wiggins for the first time in his team’s blue and red kit with the roundel crest. Alongside the photograph, a message read “#MYHOUR, SEE HOW FAR I CAN GO.”

Tour of Utah names 13 men’s teams for 2015 race.

The Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah announced most of its line-up for the men’s race on Wednesday, releasing the names of 13 invited teams for the race, August 3-9. Three additional teams will be added later this spring for a total of 16 teams in the UCI 2.HC men’s stage race.

Four teams will have just completed the Tour de France the month prior: BMC Racing, Cannondale-Garmin, Trek Factory Racing, and South Africa-based MTN-Qhubeka.

This year will be the second appearance for MTN-Qhubeka and Trek Factory Racing at the Tour of Utah. BMC, which captured three stage wins at last year’s race, will make its seventh appearance.

Cannondale-Garmin, which is expected to bring two-time defending champion Tom Danielson, will race its sixth Tour of Utah.

Comment: What does the UCI's (semi) legalization of disc brakes mean?

The ‘disc brakes on road bikes’ debate is something that’s stirred up quite a passionate argument between those who want them and those that don’t.

Now the UCI are going to allow pro teams to trial disc brakes in August and September, before a full trial next year and possible legalisation in 2017, does that mean the disc brake is on the verge of taking over?

Personally, I find it hard to fall on either side of the proverbial fence. While I agree that disc brakes aren’t desperately needed on road bikes, it doesn’t mean they’re not better than rim brakes.

Because they are. That doesn’t mean that rim brakes aren’t adequate or, in most cases, more than adequate, it just means disc brakes are even better.

Stages vs Vector S long-term power meter test.

"Two years ago Stages created a niche within the power meter category with a left-side-only power meter. Last year, Garmin joined the party with its left-pedal Vector S power meter.

So which is better? I put the two head-to-head, with a month of simultaneous ride recording using an SRM as the control and a PowerTap for context.

Speaking of context, I’ve had a Stages meter on a personal bike for two years now, and have ridden the dual-sided Vector system quite a bit, too.

Beyond that, I’ve trained with power meters for 14 years. In that time, I’ve come to value long-term durability and consistency; I just want a reliable tool, as I suspect you do."

Oakley Launches Radar EV Sunglasses.

Fast on the heels of its radical new JawBreaker sunglasses, Oakley announces the launch of their Radar EV. 

At first glance, the new Radar EV looks quite similar to the Jawbreaker. However, the absence of the SwitchLock lower rim, is what differentiates the two models.

In addition, the lens on the Radar appears to be slightly taller than the standard one found on the JawBreaker.

In any case, Oakley’s three-point fit has been carried over to the new EV, which means the frame only comes in contact with the bridge of the nose.

BMC hopeful Phinney returns to racing ‘before end of summer’.

BMC Racing scored a podium at Paris-Roubaix with Greg Van Avermaet, but the team was missing the rider whom many believe could win a cobblestoned classic one day: Taylor Phinney.

Far away from the drama of the pavé, Phinney continues his rehab in the wake of his career-threatening crash at last year’s U.S. national championship road race. It’s a slow road, but Phinney is back on the bike, making steady progress.

He’s been riding for hours in the mountains around Boulder, Colorado. BMC officials told VeloNews they are cautiously optimistic the two-time Olympian can return to racing before the end of the 2015 season.

“We’re not putting a date or a number on [a comeback], but he continues to make progress,” BMC general manager Jim Ochowicz told VeloNews. “According to the trainers, he’s able to put out more watts, more hours on the bike.

He’s on the road, not on the turbo-trainer. We’re hopeful if he continues the way he’s going, we’ll see him racing before the end of summer.”

Daily Distractions.

Legally Speaking: The door zone.

BikeSnobNYC: It Happened One Wednesday.

Steve Tilford: 2000+ Miles per Race.

FatCyclist: The Sound I Was Waiting For.

Technical FAQ: A drivetrain hack, tire pressure, and road discs.

Podcast: 2015 Episode 9 – Technically Germany.

Video: Climbs to ride. Passo Fedaia.

Video: Highlights from Brabantse Pijl.

Video: Michelle Khare races against Ferrari through L.A. traffic.

Cycling Tips: Daily News Digest.

Tyler Hamilton and Lance Armstrong Met Face to Face.

According to an article in the New Zealand Herald, the once close friends, and now arch enemies, Tyler Hamilton and Lance Armstrong met face to face at a conference in New Zealand this week.

In a word, Hamilton described his encounter with the disgraced cyclist as – “strange”.

“It was strange, strange. We spoke. Small talk. He laughed at my hair, I laughed at his beard, like all mates would do. There were a lot of lawyers around and officials but, yeah, we shook hands a couple of times,” the New Zealand Herald newspaper reported Hamilton as saying.

“It was not easy for me to answer direct questions about him, what we went through. There’s a lot at stake. I’ve read in the papers that it could be up to US$120 million [damages].”

“I don’t know what he thinks but I know what I need to do. You answer questions that could affect that and that is mind-blowing but I went in there and told the truth. But it [also] sucked [as] there were some questions about his character, with him sitting right there, some of the bullying and stuff.”

Kreuziger to ride Amstel Gold Race and Liège despite pending CAS case.

One day after a date was announced for Roman Kreuziger’s hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, his Tinkoff Saxo team has confirmed that he will continue racing in the meantime and will next compete in the Amstel Gold Race on Sunday.

The Czech rider will be joined by Michael Valgren as leaders on the squad for the Dutch event.

“We are going to Amstel with a good lineup,” said directeur sportif Sean Yates. “We aim to be active, show the team colours and initiate our race strategy and then we’ll see how it materializes during the race, where you constantly have to be on your toes.

Could Alexander Kristoff move to Team Sky?

With Alexander Kristoff’s contract at Katusha up at the end of the season, rumours are already circulating as to where he will ride in 2016.

The Norwegian’s incredible start to 2015, which has seen him notch up 10 wins already, has surely added a few extra dollars to his wage demands, and if the Russian team baulk at the price, Team Sky’s Gabriel Rasch indicated he would love to have Kristoff on his side.

As reported by Procycling.no, Sky’s sporting director Rasch says it would ‘be insanely cool’ if his countryman was to join Sky, something that was music to the ears of Kristoff’s long-term trainer Stein Orn.

Astana coach reveals training methods for Nibali and Aru ahead of Classics and Giro d'Italia.

The Astana team is awaiting a decision from the UCI License Commission about its future but Grand Tour team leaders Vincenzo Nibali and Fabio Aru have continued to focus on their preparation for the upcoming Ardennes Classics, the Giro del Trentino and the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia.

Both Nibali and Aru have recently spent time training at altitude at Teide on the Spanish island of Tenerife, clocking up several blocks of quality training under the eye of Astana team coach Paolo Slongo and his assistant Maurizio Mazzoleni.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Nibali and Aru crossed paths on the roads of Teide with Alberto Contador and Ivan Basso and Chris Froome and Richie Porte as they trained for the Giro d’Italia and Ardennes Classics.

Boels-Dolmans: What I know now that I wish I knew then.

Evelyn Stevens: "There are saddles that are comfortable, and you have to be picky about your saddle. If the first saddle you get doesn’t make your taco happy, it’s ok.

You want your taco to be happy, not angry.

Personally, I have gone through a bunch of saddles. I’m currently riding the Specialized Power saddle, and I don’t even need to ride with chamois cream because it’s that good."

Mara Abbott: Roots are important.

"Roots are important. Athletes do not compete just for themselves or for glory - at the very least I would have trouble believing that type of autonomously predicated career could be terribly long-lived in its success.

Competition, I think, is a tribute to the people we love, the causes that matter to us, and the places we are proud to represent. Ironically, that same devotion is what makes it so challenging on the road to live apart from them. Sometimes, we all need a small touch of homeland to remember what we are fighting for.

When he read the Wiggle-Honda roster for 2015, my big brother swore that Elisa Longo Borghini must have been a former teammate because he knew her name. As it so happens, we traced the recollection to the fact that he dropped in from a Swiss mountain biking vacation to catch the San Domenico stage of the 2014 Giro - that one that finishes on Elisa's home climb.

As her competitor, I too remember the constant cheering refrain of her name. When I was formally introduced to her "fan club" this year in Cittiglio, I discovered that I had failed to notice the t-shirts and songs they had also prepared."

3T offers bar-mounted monitor screen device for cycling apps.

Similar in concept to Wahoo's RFLKT device, the 3T Eye wirelessly links to the user's smart phone and displays information from fitness tracking apps including 3T's own new app, called 3T Cycling. The free app is available now in the Apple App Store and will be available soon for Android devices.

The 3T Eye can also receive data directly from hardware including power meters and heart rate monitors. The 3T Eye can be mounted with a Barfly 2.0 mount or with a special faceplate adapter that works with 3T's ARX II stem.

Lee’s Lowdown: Roubaix Ruminations.

BikeSnobNYC: Keep Your Head Up!

Jessi Braverman: Elisa Longo Borghini reflects on the Ronde.

Steve Tilford: Some Rules Aren’t Made to be Broken.

Cycling Tips: Monsieur Paris-Roubaix.

RKP: A Conversation With Richard Bryne, Part II.

Biking Bis: Two states add 3-foot bicycle-passing laws to the books.

Technique Tuesday: Should Cyclocrossers Spend Their Summer On or Off the Road?

Photos: Paris Roubaix through the lens of Kristof Ramon.

Photos: Dramatic sights from Paris Roubaix.

Photos: Roubaix railroad crossing photo sequence.

Podcast: Paris Roubaix special.

Video: Col Collective climbs Passo Fedaia.

Video: 2015 women’s Ronde van Vlaanderen.

Cycling Tips: Daily News Digest.