Rebellin extends lead, Modolo notches first win of year in Turkey ...

Tour of Turkey: Modolo sprints to win stage 5.

"Sacha Modolo won stage five of the Presidential Tour of Turkey with a late surge to the line in Pamukkale.

Etixx QuickStep tried to lead out the sprint for Mark Cavendish but several attacks made their task difficult and the rising road to finish tested the sprinters.

Modolo came through late to win by half a wheel, ahead of Carlos Barbero, Jay McCarthy and late attacker Michal Kolar.

Italy’s Davide Rebellin finished ninth on the stage and so defended his overall race lead."

Optum sweeps Tour of the Gila stage 2 ...

Young, Ewart win stage 2 at Tour of the Gila.

Eric Young out-kicked Team SmartStop's Travis McCabe and UnitedHealthcare's Marco Canola to win the stage 2 bunch sprint Thursday at the Tour of the Gila. The peloton caught a two-man breakaway of Robin Carpenter and Danny Summerhill on the final mountain sprint of the day, and stayed together for the expected bunch sprint.

In the women's race, Annie Ewart parlayed her two-rider breakaway into a stage win ahead of Olivia Dillon. Redlands Bicycle Classic stage winner Alison Jackson won the field sprint for third.

Kittel can find his feet and form in Tour de Yorkshire.

The Tour de Yorkshire begins on Friday, May 1, as ’s elite again tackle the demanding undulating terrain of the Yorkshire hills.

Built on the legacy of the hugely successful Grand Départ of the 2014 Tour de France, event organizers have created this inaugural race to prove they belong on the pro cycling calendar.

Stage One’s 174km route from Bridlington to Scarborough is a tricky course according to Irish cycling legend and Eurosport expert Sean Kelly, who tested it himself.

For Stage Two, the peloton journeys another 174km from Selby to York.

Rafael Montiel wins Tour of the Gila opener.

"Rafael Montiel won stage 1 of Tour of the Gila and took the GC lead after catching the remnants of the day’s breakaway on the final climb and riding alone to victory.

The day was marked by an early break of Guilliaume Boivin, Martin Kohler, Erik Slac, Zack Noonan, Ian Holt, Ansel Dickey, John Murphy, and Anthony Canevari.

The group of eight accumulated a significant gap over the course of the 92-mile road race, and with 10 kilometers remaining, the peloton was still 7:15 behind."

Rund um Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt cancelled after police thwart possible terrorist action.

German police have cancelled Friday's Rund um Finanzplatz Eschborn-Frankfurt race after arresting a married couple they believe were planning a terrorist attack on the event.

“Due to the actual and still unclear hazardous situation and its relationship to tomorrow’s cycling race, this event must sadly be cancelled due to safety reasons,” the police said in a statement Thursday evening.

“Many people look forward, as every year, to tomorrow’s traditional event. But no matter how attractive the sport – because of the hazardous situation and the fact that at this point there are still too many unanswered questions, safety absolutely comes first!”

2014-15 Races & Results.

Tour de Romandie - April 28-May 3 (Stages & Results),

Tour of Turkey - Apr 26-May 3 (Stages & Results),

Giro d'Italia 2015 - May 9-31 (Stages & Results),

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),

Liège - Bastogne - Liège - Apr 26 (Results),

Joe Martin Stage Race - Apr 23-26 (Results),

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

La Flèche Wallonne - Apr 22 (Results),

Amstel Gold Race - Apr 19 (Results),

De Brabantse Pijl - Apr 15 (Results),

Paris Roubaix - Apr 12 (Results),

More...

Armstrong, Brennauer will headline ...

Amgen Tour of California announces women’s TT roster.

A group of 23 women, arguably the strongest field assembled, was announced on Thursday for the May 15 Amgen Tour of California Invitational Time Trial at Big Bear Lake.

The roster of the fifth annual women’s TT includes previous race winners, as well as world, national, and Olympic champions.

“The Amgen Tour of California has always been a place where the best women in the world can come to race in an international forum. This year, the competition is steeper than ever,” said Evelyn Stevens.

Overlooked Jay McCarthy quietly contending ...

Rebellin: McCarthy could pose a threat to Tour of Turkey lead.

Having seen his rival Jay McCarthy attack on stages five and six in a bid to get back the time he lose on the stage four summit finish to Elmali, Presidential Tour of Turkey race leader Davide Rebellin has said that he is wary of the Australian.

McCarthy, a 22 year old racing with the Tinkoff Saxo team, finished fourth on Tuesday’s stage. He dropped one minute 20 seconds to Rebellin and since then has done what he could to try to get some of the time back.

He attacked in the finale of stage four and carried a gap right into the final kilometer. However he and breakaway companion Lluis Mas were caught inside the final 600 meters.

Tour of Turkey 2015 Live Dashboard ...

2015 Tour of Turkey LIVE.

Friday's Stage 6 start time: 11:55 EEST (1:55 AM PST);

Approximate finish: 16:17 EEST (6:17 AM PST)

Tour of Turkey live streaming video should get underway at around 2:30pm EEST (local) (1:30pm CET or 7:30am U.S. Eastern, 4:30am Pacific).

Greipel kicks into gear with stage 4 win in Turkey ...

Tour of Turkey: Greipel wins stage 4.

André Greipel snapped the losing streak that had plagued him of late with a sprint victory in stage four of the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey on Wednesday in Marmaris, Turkey.

Lotto-Soudal’s German sprinter, known as ‘The Gorilla,’ out-kicked Daniele Colli at the end of the 132km stage. Daniele Ratto, finished third, behind his Italian countryman.

The race continues Thursday with a 160km stage from Mugla to Pamukkale. Davide Rebellin kept the leader’s jersey, which he claimed yesterday on stage 3’s summit finish. (velonews.com)

Albasini doubles up ...

Take Two: Albasini wins second Romandie stage, wearing yellow.

Tour de Romandie race leader Michael Albasini delivered his second win in as many days on Thursday in Porrentruy, Switzerland.

The Swiss rider was cued up perfectly by teammate Simon Gerrans in the final kilometer, capitalizing on a late rush from Etixx Quick Step whose riders were aiming to lead-out Julian Alaphilippe for the win. However, the young Frenchman had to settle for second place behind Albasini, who delivered a convincing kick in the final 200 meters to win by a couple bike lengths.

“First of all we have to realize what my team did for me today,” Albasini said. “They really drove strong in the first half of the race, and in the final even [Ivan] Santaromita was around to make sure nobody was riding away.”

Wiggle exec and former pro ...

Bouchard-Hall to replace Johnson as CEO and President of USA Cycling.

Derek Bouchard-Hall, former US pro criterium champion and executive at the online cycling retailer Wiggle, will take over as the CEO and President of USA Cycling in June, the organization’s Board of Directors announced on Thursday.

Bouchard-Hall will take the place of Steve Johnson, who will step down after a nine-year term.

“I could not be more excited to be returning to the sport I love at this time in its history,” Bouchard-Hall said. “We hope to capitalize on the very positive aspects of cycling, including the growth of women's cycling and the broadening of participation in cycling by those seeking to improve their fitness and well-being. I can’t wait to get started."

Wiggins happy again after leaving Sky.

Olympic and world time-trial champion Bradley Wiggins said he was enjoying life again now that he’s left Team Sky and is focusing on track racing.

Wiggins became a legend in British cycling during his spell with Sky as he won the 2012 Tour de France, as well as a host of other prestigious races such as Paris-Nice, Tour de Romandie, and Critérium du Dauphiné.

But it all turned sour over the last couple of years as he was replaced by his former chief lieutenant Chris Froome as Sky’s leader for the Tour de France.

Wiggins never raced the Grand Boucle again after illness and injury forced him to forgo the 2013 defense of his crown, and he wasn’t even picked by Sky to be a domestique to Froome last year.

Seeldraeyers seeks return to form following string of illnesses.

"It has been a long five years for 28-year-old Kevin Seeldraeyers. The veteran Belgian cyclist, who once showed great promise at the turn of the decade in the midst of his five-year run with Quick-Step, has ridden for three teams in as many years and now finds himself out of the WorldTour and riding for Turkish Continental team Torku Sekerspor.

Once touted as a future general classification contender after he recorded several top-10 finishes, including fifth at the Tour de Georgia (2007), seventh at Paris-Nice (2009), and eighth at the Vuelta a Catalunya (2011).

'The problem for me was that the last few years I was always sick. Maybe five or six times per year and the doctors said I had no more resistance in my body because I used antibiotics too much over the last five years'."

Ted King on Retiring.

"When the email reminder dinged into my inbox a few months ago I was taken by surprise. “Register now for your TEN YEAR college reunion!” Ten years. Whoa.

That was the abrupt, electronic reminder that I’m zeroing in on a decade since I took my hard earned economics degree from Middlebury College and did the most obvious thing possible: I turned it into a career as a professional cyclist.

With a convenient break in my race schedule coinciding with reunion weekend this June, I am excited to return to the lush, Green Mountains of Vermont where I found the sport of cycling which has forever shaped my life."

Notes from the Desk of Giro d'Italia Dreams... And a Special Series!

The Giro d'Italia is not your ordinary race. For many cycling fans the world over, it's a place where disbelief becomes suspended, where rationality is kicked to the curb, and where romantic Italian dreams rule the cycling landscape.

It's easy to poke fun at the notion that we should all be romantic about cycling in Italy -- their riders are still grappling with the stain of corruption even when, in a few quarters, the sport seems ready and able to move on; the race itself is dominated by Italians, sometimes absurdly so (given the distribution of talent); and the ambitions of the race organizers often blow up in their snow-bound faces.

PEZ Talk: BMC’s Joey Rosskopf.

"Joey Rosskopf has had a hard baptism of fire in the European Spring Classics and as he recovers before the Tour de Yorkshire this weekend, Ed Hood managed to catch-up with the BMC rider to hear all about it. The life of a young American in Europe.

You could say that 25 year-old American Joey Rosskopf first really hit the headlines in 2014 with his GC win in The Redlands stage race in the USA, two Pan Am Champs silver medals – road race and time trial – a string of top stage placings in the Colorado Pro Cycling Challenge, not to mention a top six GC spot; and those results were what netted him a contract with ‘super squad’ BMC Racing Team for season 2015."

Stage 4 preview ...

2015 Tour de Romandie LIVE.

Friday's Stage 4 start time: 13:00 CET (4:00 AM PST);


Approximate finish: 17:17 CET (8:17 AM PST)

Tour de Romandie live video streaming should get underway at around 4:00pm CET (10:00am U.S. Eastern, 7:00am Pacific).

Mavic Kysrium Elite wheelset gets updated with wider rim.

The Mavic Ksyrium Elite is one of the most popular upgrade wheelsets on the market, combining relatively low weight and plenty of stiffness in a reliable package which won’t break the bank.

While many manufacturers have been quick to follow the ‘wider is better’ trend, Mavic have been typically cautious.

However, the updated Elite changes that and the rim has been widened by 2mm internally, growing from 15mm to 17mm. That should give the Elite a 21.5mm external width.

2015 Hour Record LIVE stream - Alex Dowsett Attempt.

2015 Alex Dowsett Hour Record Attempt LIVE Saturday May 2, Manchester, England.

Dowsett attempt starts at 1:00pm BST (2:00pm CET) (8:00am U.S. Eastern).

Live video from 12:45pm BST (1:45pm CET) (7:45am U.S. Eastern, 4"45am Pacific).

Sprints into yellow jersey in Romandie ...

Tour de Romandie: Albasini wins stage 2.

Michael Albasini scored victory on stage 2 of the Tour de Romandie with a well-timed sprint in Saint-Imier. The Swiss rider saw off Jarlinson Pantano and Julian Alaphilippe after the Col de la Vue des Alpes had whittled down the peloton significantly.

Albasini’s win means that he now stands 10 seconds clear of his teammate Ivan Santaromita and Chris Froome at the head of the general classification. The overnight leader, Geraint Thomas suffered a puncture just as the speed was ratcheting up at the base of the final climb and he was never able to get back on terms.

PEZ: EuroTrash Romandie Thursday!

BikeSnobNYC: The Future. Car-Free Paradise or Dystopia of Smugness?

Ted King: Tabula Rasa.

Dave Moulton: Exercising to lose weight.

FatCyclist: Want to Go Riding in Santa Cruz?

Alps&Andes: A call for water bottle standards, Armstrong's bookshelf, and putting toothpaste back into the tube.

RKP: The Metamorphosis.

Ask a Mechanic: Pick the right cables.

Sea Otter: Wilier Triestina revamps Cento 1 SR race bike.

Podcast: Liège, bike motors, Rebellin and Romandie.

Video: Phil Gaimon. A day with the most "real" athlete in pro cycling.

Video: Healing hands. On the table with IAM's Osteo.

Cookson: ‘People willing to invest in our sport again’.

The sport of cycling is on the rebound, and its ability to attract greater financial investment is also growing, according to Brian Cookson.

“We are seeing people willing to invest in our sport again,” Cookson said to the Association Internationale de la Press Sportive (AIPS), an organization that supports and accredits the international sporting press.

Cycling’s tough economic times are no secret. Shuttered races and teams across Europe and a tenuous sponsorship market are proof enough. The situation is nothing new, but Cookson sees reason to be optimistic. He pointed to rising interest from the German public, which seemed to all but have given up on the sport, following a string of doping scandals.

“German television [is] coming back to Tour de France coverage, and we now see German teams competing again now,” he said.

Armstrong's girlfriend target of US subpoena.

The government wants to question Lance Armstrong's domestic partner as part of its civil case against the cyclist, according to a report in USA Today.

Anna Hansen, the target of the subpoena, is the mother of Armstrong's two youngest children. The former seven-time Tour de France winner, who was stripped of his titles because of PED use, is fighting the subpoena, saying it “appears to have been served only to harass Armstrong and his family,” according to the USA Today report.

Astana’s Fall into the UCI Vacuum.

"Astana kept their World Tour license after the UCI’s License Commission gave them the green light to ride on. The who, what and why remain a mystery for now as we wait the promised publication of the reasoned decision.

Before that happens there are wider issues of communication and perception. Few understand how a team gets a World Tour License, the ISSUL audit seems to have been misunderstood by many and it created a scenario where the vacuum of knowledge was filled by speculation and innuendo.

It might seem basic but the UCI’s never clearly explained how a team gets a World Tour license. Sure it’s described in a chapter of the rulebook inside a PDF sitting on the website but who has time to go digging for this? There’s still no World Tour website with a simple flowchart, a presentation or a 90 second video primer."

Horner battles lung ailment at Tour of the Gila.

"Chris Horner's transition from the WorldTour to the Continental domestic scene has not quite been the homecoming he had hoped for.

Rather than dominate, Horner has struggled due to continuing lung issues that left him with sub par race results. A seventh place overall in the Redlands Bicycle Classic was followed by two failures to start in the Sea Otter Classic and Joe Martin Stage Race.

The poor showing also left his team without invitations to the major North American UCI races, but he's hoping to find answers to his health issues soon.

The problem with Horner's lungs started in last year's Tour de France, where he and a number of riders in the peloton came down with bronchitis. Horner suspects that his serious crash in Italy last April in which his broken ribs punctured his lung, might have predisposed him to the lingering issues."

Route: Stage by stage ...

Tour de Yorkshire 2015 Live Dashboard ...

2015 Tour de Yorkshire LIVE video stream.

Friday's  2015 Tour de Yorkshire is LIVE May 1-3 from Great Britain.

Stage 1 starts at 11:45am BST (6:45am U.S. Eastern).

Finish at around 4:15pm BST (11:14am U.S. Eastern).

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

Movers and Shakers: Remembering Nicola Davis, champion for local cyclists from rookies to racers.

"Earlier this month a group of riders rolled out from the City of Whittlesea Council offices. They ranged from the very occasional cyclist, who struggled to ride 20 kilometers, to the seasoned racer. It was one bunch where big variations in speed and ability couldn’t have been more welcomed or more appropriate.

It was a ride in memory of a women who didn’t seem to care whether you were cycling around the block or the country. No matter your objective, she would do what she could to help you get there.

'This ride is trying to champion what she started,” said Whittlesea councillor, Rex Griffin, after the ride. “It was never about winning; it was about participating. It didn’t matter where you were in the field, you were part of the field.'”

Contador: Riis departure from Tinkoff-Saxo was unexpected.

Alberto Contador admits the departure of former team manager Bjarne Riis from Tinkoff-Saxo was ‘unexpected’, but the Spaniard insists he is well prepared for the Giro d’Italia.

Riis’s contract at Russian team was terminated by mutual agreement in March having been suspended by owner Oleg Tinkov. Rumors circulated that the pair were involved in an arguement at Tirreno-Adriatico earlier in the month.

“That was unexpected, but I suppose Tinkoff act in the interest of the team,” Contador told Sporza about the decision.

Aru training hard for the Giro d’Italia after stomach virus.

Fabio Aru has confirmed that he has made a full recovery from the stomach virus that forced him to miss last week’s Giro del Trentino and is confident he will be ready to lead the Astana team at the Giro d’Italia.

The 24 year-old Sardinian finished third in the 2014 Giro d’Italia and then was fifth in the Vuelta a Espana. He is considered one of the favorites for overall victory this year alongside Alberto Contador and Richie Porte).

Interview Pavel Sivakov.

Pavel Sivakov is a Russian rider living in France. As a first year junior Pavel already showed to be among the strongest juniors and he is going to collect some big wins this year. Sivakov is strong against the clock and goes well on difficult terrain which makes him an excellent GC rider.

Unfortunately the talented Russian had a crash last weekend which means he will miss his first goal of the year the Peace Race (Course de la Paix) but expect big things from him in the other upcoming hard Ncup events.