VeloNation: Omega Pharma Quick Step manager confirms 2012 Tour lineup, evaluates riders.

CycleSport: There’s no other bike race like the Tour de France. Nothing compares to it. The Tour is the biggest, fastest, most important and best race in the world: it’s an event that both defines and transcends cycling.

Vuelta a Colombia - June 12-24 (Stages & results),
Tour de France - June 30 - July 22 (Stages),
Tour de Suisse - June 9-17 (Stages & results),
Tour de Serbie - June 12-17 (Stages & results),
Nature Valley Grand Prix - June13-17 (Stages & results),
Tour de Beauce - June 12-17 (Stages & results),
Giro Ciclistico d'Italia - June 8-17 (Stages & results),
2012 Olympic Games - July 28 - August 12 (Races),
Vuelta a España - August 18 - September 9 (Stages),
More...

Robert Millar: We've been used to hearing about the marginal gains from Team Sky but that doesn't explain the big step forward in Bradley Wiggins’ performances this season. Five stage race starts three wins and a second is more than impressive because they have all been important rendezvous and the apparent ease with which Sky have controlled everything has added to their confidence.

VeloNation: Two-time World champion aiming for Olympic gold after a strange day in the Italian championships.

BikeRumor: For 2013, Cannondale’s SuperSix EVO line expands with a new standard modulus carbon frame. The higher end HiMod frames use a full BallisTec base frame with high and super high modulus carbon wrapped at the joints to tune the ride feel. This lets them use fewer fibers for a lower weight because the BallisTec fibers are so strong.

BikeRadar verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars. "Ready to race uphill or down, the SuperSix is still a class act."

Ally Stacher: "For the 2012 year our team Specialized  Lululemon has taken on the task to raise money for Right to Play (RTP). Its a charitable organization that was created by professional athletes to help proverty stricken youths by the introduction of sport. RTP uses sport to promote a healthier and safer world."

BikeRadar: Who are the figures that have written themselves into the record books of this most emblematic of events? Who’s the fastest winner? The oldest winner? The youngest winner? Which country has basked in yellow more than any other? Who’s the climber that stands head and shoulders above all the other?

CyclingNews: Ramirez steps into race lead.

VeloNation: The Dane breaks down the different responsibilities of the riders.

SBS: Schleck had appeared a strong candidate to stand up for RadioShack-Nissan in the Tour de France after finishing second overall at the Tour de Suisse. In May, he was third overall at the Tour de Luxembourg and has been one of the most consistent riders for the team this year.

Joe Dombrowski: "It was really satisfying. In the past couple years, I have finished on the podium in a number of stage races, but this was my first GC win. Winning a GC this year was a goal I set in this past off-season and it felt really good to execute. I have to say, I also found it gratifying to deliver results when my teammates and director put so much faith in me and sacrificed so much."

Seventh TT championship win for RadioShack Nissan rider.

VeloNews: Grown out of necessity, the 80 percent rule, a suggestion to keep oneself under control when at any sort of press event, and has been popularized amongst English-language tech writers to the point where a ride on a new product rarely heads out without at least one mention, someone piping up in warning.

VeloNation: Standings updated prior to start of Tour de France.

Helen Wyman: "Here I am, once again, sitting in my ‘office’ for the weekend thinking how busy I have been of late. You’d think being a cyclo-cross rider that I should disappear for the summer with training only to return for the first week of September. As much as I love this idea my coach has others. So, I’ve been back racing with narrower tires, better brakes and many more riders to contend with."

Peloton: The battle for aero, once the domain of the time trial, has been raging in the peloton for the last few years. Wheels, frames, positions and even apparel have all been re-examined and re-imagined to shave precious grams of drag. Road helmets have not been immune.

Bicycling: "In 2010, we awarded Guru’s Photon our Editors’ Choice award for best dream road bike. Originally offered only in custom geometry and paint, the Photon, along with four other Guru models, is now available in the company’s “Fast Forward” program."

SBS: The issues of a troubling week for professional cycling.

RedKitePrayer: A large format photographic history of some landmark competition bicycles. Beautiful images of thirty-four racing bicycles ranging from 1880 to 1994.

VeloNation: Three more Italians accused of working with Michele Ferrari as heat increases for doctor.

CyclingNews: Filippo Pozzato has admitted working with Dr. Michele Ferrari from 2005 to 2009 but claimed that he consulted with the notorious doctor only to obtain training programs and advice on nutrition, according to a report in Gazzetta dello Sport.

InnerRing: Altitude training has long been a fixture for endurance athletes. It has been common for riders to head for the mountains for some time. As well as familiarising themselves with the local passes and working on the pedal stroke riders are also subject to hypoxia or oxygen deprivation, triggering a set of responses in the body.

CyclingNews: Bart De Clercq rode out the Tour de Suisse with a collapsed lung, and is now in hospital for several days. Despite the pain, the Lotto-Belisol rider managed to finish 12th on the final stage and 14th overall.

RedKitePrayer: "I’m in Park City, Utah, attending Press Camp, an event organized by Lifeboat Events. One of the partners in Lifeboat Events is Lance Camisasca, the former director of the Interbike trade show. Press Camp is a trade event for bike companies to get serious face time with the media. Sessions are broken into 45-minute blocks, of which I routinely ran over."

BikeRumor: “We wanted to build a ti bike that could go toe to toe with any crit bike out there,” said Josh Novis, Guru’s sales rep. “The Praemio R frame features make it stiff enough to crank on but with the compliant ride that ti is known for.”

CyclingWeekly: "With who they have and who they like to take I don't see a spot for myself. Goss already pre-qualified with the worlds and I think (Simon) Gerrans has shown he is probably the strongest."

BikeRumor: Their new SiSL2 cranksets are 100% CNC machined in a clamshell design that’s bonded together. The spindle has been machined down more, too, which also made it stiffer. This model has additional machining to save weight, and the remaining material was move around inside the arms to improve the strength. So, these are both lighter and stiffer.

VeloNation: Danish rider seeking further compensation for 2007 Tour de France dismissal.