CyclingFans: Thursday's Giro d'Italia Stage 18 departs San Vito di Cadore at 1:50pm CET (7:50am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Vedelago at around 5:13pm CET (11:13am U.S. Eastern).  Giro d'Italia live streaming video should get underway at around 2:30pm CET (8:30am U.S. Eastern).

road.cc: Last chance for the sprinters to shine and there is one left who can… Geraint Thomas gives his view.

Rodriguez wins in pink.

BikeRadar: Spain's Joaquim Rodriguez (Katusha) won a dramatic stage 17 at the 2012 Giro d'Italia, overcoming some of his closest rivals in the general classification as the race headed into the Dolomites for the first time.

Giro d'Italia - May 5-27 (Stages & results),
The Exergy Tour - May 24-28 (Stages & results),
An Post Ras - May 20-27 (Stages & results),
Bayern-Rundfahrt - May 23-27 (Stages & results),
Tour of Belgium - May 23-27 (Stages & results),
Tour of Japan - May 20-27 (Stages & results),
Amgen Tour of California - May 13-20 (Stages & Results),
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...

VeloNews: Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) walked out of a post-stage press conference in tears after being asked about the one-year anniversary of the death of Xavier Tondo.

VeloNews: Roman Kreuziger lost 11 minutes today and any chance to win the Giro d’Italia. Astana’s Czech captain dropped quickly on the Forcella Staulanza climb and never recovered. Afterward Kreuziger’s team manager had stiff words for him, placing blame for the collapse on his shoulders.

Race Coverage: A work in progress for the inaugural women's Exergy Tour live and delayed coverage. Check back at race time for more links. Feel free to send in additional sources for live video, tv coverage or text updates/tickers as they become known. Highlights and big photos later each day.

VeloNation: The Ale-Jet finally fires in southern Germany after long breakaway pulled back.

Outstanding La Bresse World Cup pays off for Näf and Vogel.

CyclingNews: The most recent UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in La Bresse, France, was the final race that counted toward the nations qualifications for the Olympics. It was also the final race at which riders could qualify for their respective national teams headed to the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Enrico Battaglin: "Gutenabend. I say good evening in German because I’m staying in a typical Tyrolean hotel in Kiens in the region of Trentino. Every name here is translated in two languages: Italian and German. Kiens is Chienes in Italian. That’s the beauty of doing the Tour of Italy: we go through the specifics of the different regions of our country. In my previous blog, I was writing from the Riviera on the Mediterranean, which is like another world compared to here in the mountains near the Austrian border."

CyclingIQ: Can a 150 meter climb be a decisive element of a 148 kilometer stage? Surely not! What if those 148 kilometers were the aggregate of a 12.2km circuit completed 12 times, with that same climb featuring on every lap? That might hurt.

JamesStout: One of the main differences between racing and training is that, at the top of the climb, things don't stop, or slow down. As soon as the terrain flattens out you hear the thunk of front deraillieurs, the slap and ring  of chains bouncing  onto 11 tooth cogs and the woosh of carbon wheels gaining speed. Because on the other side of climbs are descents, and descents hurt just as much as climbs.

BikeRadar: You may be familiar with the Wishlist section in our sister magazine Procycling, which uncovers the latest tech the pros are using.

BikeRadar verdict: "Stiff, efficient and fast, the P5 frameset gives a great first impression."

CyclingFans: Thursday's Tour of Belgium Stage 2 departs Lochristi at 11:30am CET (5:30am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Knokke-Heist at around 3:45pm CET (9:45am U.S. Eastern).  Tour of Belgium live streaming video should get underway at around 2:00pm CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern).

CyclingNews: Andre Greipel has won the opening stage of the Tour of Belgium, covering 162km between Mechelen and Buggenhout. The 29-year-old German sprinted to his eighth victory of the season in a very tight finish against runner-up Danilo Napolitano (Acqua & Sapone) and third-placed Kenny Van Hummel (Vacansoleil-DCM).

CyclingNews: Fränk Schleck is to return to hospital today for further medical examinations of the injuries resulting from his crash in the Giro d'Italia, which caused him to abandon the race. The RadioShack-Nissan rider denied that he had planned all along leave the race early, saying “It's not in my nature to give up.” In addition, he and team general manager Johan Bruyneel had a long discussion before he left Italy, and although both are disappointed, they will now work together for good results in the Tour de France.

road.cc: Team Sky rider prepares for cycling's biggest race with altitude training amid island's volcanic landscape.

PodiumInsight: It was an understandably emotional Robbie McEwen (Orica-GreenEdge) that walked up onto the podium to receive the Most Courageous rider jersey at the end of the Amgen Tour of California. After all, stage 8 in Los Angeles was the final race of a storied career that spanned 16 and a half seasons but the 39-year old had to get his jersey and move on, like all the other winners – tv time holds for everyone – so he waved and then took a bow to the delight of the crowd.

Blazin' Saddles: Sunday's splendid stage 15 of the Giro d'Italia, in which Italian youngster Matteo Rabottini dramatically held on to a miraculous solo victory in the Alps, made a mockery of football's Champions League final, which took place the night before.

CXMagazine: Last weekend at DirtFest, endurance world mountain bike champion Rebecca Rusch showed off her skills at several women-only clinics. She and pro downhiller Katie Holden demonstrated proper cornering and body positioning on the mountain bike trails just outside of State College, Pennsylvania, and while the techniques may not be cyclocross-specific, there’s a lot to be learned from these MTB-ers.

Bicycling: A conversation with Barbara Grealish, the team's chef, at the Tour of California.

Adam Bornstein: "It all started with a crazy love letter to eggs. It made some question my sanity, and others wonder what my wife felt of our "close" relationship. (She's cool with it, but is occasional jealous of the Born Scramble.)"

RedKitePrayer: The organization was started by four-time Olympic gold medalist Johan Olav Koss, the long-track speed skater. In broad strokes, Right To Play exists to bring opportunities for sport—and all the lessons that lie therein—to children living in impoverished and war-torn countries.

Bicycling: After a long layoff, our rookie heads out expecting the worst—only to find out that, miraculously, all is not lost.

BikeRumor: Based on the RZR 92, which they call “the fastest wheel in the world”, the new line will be called AERO and use wider rim profiles with a wide inner and outer bead. Word is three depths will be offered and they’ll be introduced officially in June.

VeloNews: According to team captain Meredith Miller, the trailer was parked at the race hotel, the Holiday Inn Express, in Boise and the break-in took place between 12:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. The perpetrators took 14 bikes, including all of the team’s time trial bikes and the road bikes belonging to athletes not yet on-site for the race. Also missing are the team’s spare road bikes and a number of race wheels.

VeloNation: UCI president loses out to AIBA’s Wu.

VeloNews: Ryder Hesjedal was cool as a cucumber after riding shoulder-to-shoulder with the Giro d’Italia leaders and defending his second place through Wednesday’s harrowing mountain stage across the spectacular Dolomites. With only two mountain stages remaining, the Canadian’s GC rivals were not so calm.

VeloNews: Liquigas mechanics weigh Basso's bike before the stage. It came out at 6.82kg, just .02kg over the weight limit. With his light Cannondale SuperSix EVO frame, 2012 SRAM Red and Mavic Cosmic Ultimate wheelset he has to use a cheaper, heavy cassette, aluminum bars, and some added weight to get to the weight limit.

InnerRing: "I’m Ivan Basso. I’m looking for real men who don’t worry about being tired, who are ready to ride many kilometres on the road with the desire to finish first."

CyclingNews: No more space for dopers, says Dr Corsetti. He explained that the “no needle policy” put in place by team doctors in cooperation with the UCI is still in place one year after starting the operation of the “Liquigas laboratorio viaggiante (traveling laboratory).”

VeloNation: Lituanian searching for WorldTour or Pro Conti contract after Geox deal fell through.

Peloton: If you were a young boy in the 80’s chances are you had a poster of a Lamborghini Countach on your wall. Taken from an Italian slang, a sort of adult version of ‘Gee Whiz’, Kenda is now borrowing the term, with the Kenda ‘K’ of course, for its latest road tire, the Kountach.

Willow Rockwell: "I fell in love my Trek Superfly in 2009. I was having a great season and the momentum was still on the upswing. After finishing 2nd at a National race in Vermont, I decided to give the 29er a try at the National Race the next weekend in New York. I won, in spite of two flat tires on the way to the finish line."

road.cc: London-based fixie frame specialist branches out.

BikeRadar: With eight people now having completed the 1000 mile challenge, one competitor, Latimer.Todd (USA) is halfway again towards a leg-sapping 2,000. He spoke to us about the secrets to his mammoth mileage.

BikeRumor: From the picture it appears that only the front triangle will be carbon for now. We’ll let you know more details as we learn them.

BikeRadar: At their factory in Biel, Switzerland, DT Swiss have just launched an array of 2013 mountain bike products, along with tire partners Schwalbe. Headlining the action were the new Spline hubs and 650B tires.