Boulder Report: Today’s fourth stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné was crucial, not just for the race but for the riders in it; it’s the last long time trial test they’re likely to get before the Tour de France starts on June 30.

Critérium du Dauphiné - June 3-10 (Races & results),
Trans Germany - June 6-9 (Races & results),
Tour de Suisse - June 9-17 (Stages),
Tour de Luxembourg - May 30-June3 (Races & 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...

VeloNation: 21-year-old Dutch revelation chasing race’s white jersey in debut WorldTour season.

CyclingNews: Bradley Wiggins (Sky) flew to the win of the 53km stage 4 time trial in the Criterium du Dauphiné, beating world champion Tony Martin (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) by a whopping 34 seconds. Former world champion Michael Rogers, also of Sky, was third at 1:11 down.

CyclingNews: Like many at the Critérium du Dauphiné, John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) is looking for strong results in the build-up to the Tour de France to confirm form and get a boost of confidence.

VeloNation: German champion takes early lead in Basque stage race.

VeloNation: Plays down talk of problems on team.

SBS: Tour de France champion Cadel Evans said he will keep on racing at least until the end of next season, but is unsure on his future after that he told French paper the Dauphine Libere.

SingleTrack: We got the chance to ride the new Moots MX Divide simply because we were in the right place at the right time, and we were impressed.

CyclingFans: Thursday's Criterium du Dauphine Stage 4, a 53.5km Individual Time Trial from Villié-Morgon to Bourg-en-Bresse gets underway with the departure of the first rider at 12:00pm CET (6:00am U.S. Eastern). Live streaming video should get underway at around 2:45pm CET (8:45am U.S. Eastern).

BikeRumor: Ratio has just introduced their new Tacto seatpost in both standard and integrated seatmast versions. Both use hi-mod carbon, titanium screws and offer adjustable setback from 18mm to 30mm and +/- 15° of tilt angle adjustment. Yes, the photo shows a 12mm indicator line, but their spec sheets indicate 18mm as the minimum offset.

VeloNews: It’s official: Giro d’Italia champion Ryder Hesjedal will start the Tour de France. Hesjedal — who confirmed to VeloNews on Thursday that he would race the 2012 Tour — is sticking to the road map that’s served him well over the past few seasons and promises to ride with Garmin-Barracuda’s interests first.

CyclingNews: Bradley Wiggins (Sky) has paid tribute to his new training philosophy after he took a firm grip of the overall standings at the Critérium du Dauphiné with a convincing victory in the stage 4 time trial to Bourg-en-Bresse.

Bonnie D. Ford: Even in the context of Evelyn Stevens' short but remarkable career, last Friday, June 1, marked a surreal coincidence. Four years ago to that day, Stevens, then working in investment banking for a Wall Street firm, participated in her first road cycling clinic in Central Park.

VeloNation: More frustration in pre-Tour event.

CyclingNews: Andy Schleck can't blame his poor form on his knee problem, said sporting director Kim Andersen. But the Dane doesn't have any explanation for the RadioShack-Nissan rider's problems this year, and says he can only “assume” that Schleck will be in form for the Tour de France.

Outside: Irmiger talks about the gender divide in mountain biking and the challenges of making it big.

BikeRadar verdict: 3 out of 5 stars. "Extremely tight feeling wheels, with top-quality, user-friendly hubs."

BikeRadar: How to descend quickly and safely is the third in a multi-part road cycling ŠKODA skills series featuring pro tips from members of the British Continental squad Team Raleigh-GAC.

InnerRing: With less than a month to go before the Tour de France Andy Schleck is well off the pace. When there is a climb or a time trial the Luxembourger seems to go backwards. Fans are frustrated, journalists exasperated and management nervous. Is this the 2012 Dauphiné? No, I’m talking about the June 2011 and the Tour of Switzerland.

PodiumCafe: "I have kindly edited the Tour de Suisse stage map to helpfully show the organizers where to find the Alps. The Swiss Alps. I've also decided to delete my original soft-soap "sell-out-to-the-man" preview and tell the truth: This course sucks."

CyclingNews: Turgot is the fourth French rider to run into problems over whereabouts filings: track sprinter Grégory Baugé lost his 2011 world titles in the individual and team sprints over violations, while Yoann Offredo was given a one-year ban. Jeannie Longo also accused of whereabouts violations but was cleared of her offense.

InnerRing: The Col du Tourmalet is one of the legendary climbs of the Pyrenees. With tough ascensions on both the east and west, it is a regular feature of the Tour de France. Indeed the Tour has tackled this pass more times than any other in France. So you’d hope the altitude of the pass is agreed. In case of doubt a giant sign marks the pass.

TwistedSpoke: First observation: do not stand too close to Bradley Wiggins because he is red hot, inflammable and ready to explode.

BikeSnobNYC: The year was 1990-something. It was a simpler time, a happier time; a time when America still meant something. People listened to Chumbawamba on objects called "compact discs." Kids played video games instead of rotting their brains with books about Hunger Games. In this climate of boundless optimism, I became a bicycle messenger.

CyclingNews: Niki Terpstra has agreed to extend his contract with Omega Pharma-QuickStep for an additional two years. He and team manager Patrick Lefevere have reached an oral agreement on the matter, and Gert Steegmans is also said to have agreed to extend for two more years.

CyclingTips: This month, CTech takes a look at sunglasses, tires, saddles, an iPhone app and Balint Hamvas' sensational photo book on cyclocross.

BikeRumor: “With the Crampon Ultimate Pedals from Canfield Brothers, you effectively lower your bottom bracket by 8mm/.25″ while raising your pedal clearance by the same. Never snag the front edge of your pedal again! These one of a kind pedals also allow for more efficient pedaling by allowing you to lean back and push through the normal “dead spots” at the top and bottom of your pedal stroke."

CyclingNews: In just over a week USA Cycling will decide on its Olympic line-up for the London 2012 Games. While the battle for the nation’s one spot in the men’s time trial is set to come down to a choice between David Zabriskie and Taylor.