Bicycling: A conversation with the English voice of the Tour de France.

TwistedSpoke: The best quote of the cycling season so far comes from the entertaining Brian Holm, the head DS for Omega-Pharma QuickStep. When Levi Leipheimer crashed out of Paris-Nice, Holm was thrilled that the American wasn’t more seriously injured because, “Levi, he is made of chocolate.”

BikingBis: After more than 7 days and 2,776 miles, the top two solo cyclists in the Race Across America are about an hour apart with less than 200 miles to go to the finish in Annapolis.

CyclingNews: Alejandro Valverde has come out of the Tour de Suisse with confidence for the Tour de France. “We will go for the overall title” in France, the Movistar rider said. He said that while he was impressed with Fränk Schleck in Switzerland, Bradley Wiggins remains the favorite to win, and he does not discount defending champion Cadel Evans.

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...

VeloNews: We all watched as Christian Vande Velde fired his final bullets for Garmin-Barracuda teammate Ryder Hesjedal on the high mountains of the Giro d’Italia, a bit awestruck. Hesjedal wore pink in the end, but that victory belonged in part to Vande Velde.

VeloNation: Says Contador is clear favorite for the Vuelta, but Schleck’s participation is boost for race.

PodiumInsight: Five USA national champions were crowned after winning road races on the first day of the 2012 USA Cycling Juniors, Under-23, Elite & Paralympic Road National Championships on Wednesday at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Ga.

Michele Acquarone: "The more days pass, the more I am convinced that the success of the 2012 Giro d’Italia was born of the decision to build an open, transparent and continuous rapport with our stakeholders."

BikeRadar: For 2013, Ridley has created the Fenix racer, the Liz women’s road bike and the Helium SL, a super-light version of the current Helium road model. The company has also gone big on disc brakes for cyclo-cross, with three bikes in the line sporting mechanical versions.

BikeRumor: Saris’ new CycleOps Virtual Trainer software is compatible with their Power Beam Pro or trainer cycle and lets you upload video and GPS data captured on the ride and recreate it on screen.

CyclingNews: Patrik Sinkewitz has been cleared of charges that he illegally used human growth hormone (HGH). The World Anti-Doping Agency's guidelines for the values were not shown to be scientifically reliable, according to the German Sports Court in Cologne.

InnerRing: Several riders are being sucked into a sporting and judicial vortex after police investigations claim links them the infamous Doctor Ferrari.

road.cc: 2011 Giro winner to face prosecutors next Wednesday as Padua doping enquiry reaches key stage.

CycleSport: "Some readers’ first Tour memories go as far back as the 1960s and 1970s. Others started watching in the last couple of years. There’s no hierarchy here – the Tour needs to be accessible to each new generation of fans, and the new fans of today may well be getting excited about the 2032 race while realising its 20 years since their first Tour."

CyclingNewsAsia: A very strange thing happened recently, though you may be forgiven for missing it. Mark Cavendish, world road race champion, Tour de France green jersey holder and the fastest sprinter currently riding, won a stage race. Granted, the Ster ZLM Toer is not quite in the same league as the Vuelta or the Giro.

BikeRumor: "OK.  So we all know that getting the right foods down after a hard ride is pretty important to recovery.  But sometimes it’s hard.  Not because mixing a bottle of the stuff is difficult, but because you don’t want to drink a thick, snynthetic-tasting brew.  Gu’s recovery brews have worked well for me in the past- but were never something I really looked forward to.  Until now."

BikeRadar: Hutchinson still make 60 percent of their tires in their French factory, which has been churning out bicycle tires since the late 1890s. For 2013 they have two new road tubeless tires (one of which is claimed to roll more efficiently than a tubular), a three-tire range of 650b tires, two new downhill tires, and something special for Julien Absalon’s Olympic bid in London.

road.cc: Incredible levels of comfort, in a funky and unusual package. Great for hot weather.

BikeRumor: Clif’s introducing Chocolate Cherry Shot Bloks flavor. It has 50mg caffeine per serving, two servings per pack. Clif’s PR man Chris Randall’s says Black Cherry is their top selling Bloks flavor, so they wanted to expand on that.

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."

InnerRing: Each stage is analyzed, each jersey is explained and once more information is available there will be full list of riders and other content that’ll be updated every day so you can dip in and out during the next few weeks.

VeloNews: Veteran French cyclist Jeannie Longo’s dream of competing in the London Olympics faded on Thursday as she lost her national women’s time-trial title to Pauline Ferrand-Prevot.

Heidi Swift: "A few weeks ago Kym Fant and I were exchanging frustrated texts about training hours and training problems and time constraints and stress. And then she sent this and restored perspective to us both: 'France will be rad. Ride, eat, sleep and laugh is all I want to do!'"

VeloNews: Giro d’Italia winner Ryder Hesjedal of Canada will spearhead the nine-man Garmin-Barracuda team during the Tour de France, which gets under way June 30 in Liège, Belgium.

road.cc: Emphasis on GC not green jersey in squad including the men who helped Wiggins retain his Dauphiné title.

PEZ: "Craig Lewis (Champion System) is no stranger to bad crashes; in 2004, whilst riding for TIAA-CREF in the Tour of Georgia, he was hit by a motor vehicle – breaking 47 bones. Last season, on stage 19 of the Giro, he and HTC team mate Marco Pinotti were involved in a bad crash and were rushed to hospital. Ed Hood recently caught up with the Boulder, Colorado resident after a stage win at the Tour de Beauce."

Cyclismas: "The Dubliner is back home to plug his new autobiography, Born to Ride (Yellow Jersey Press), and I’ve been squeezed in for a twenty-minute interview in between TV and radio appearances."

BicycleRetailer: Clif Bar & Company is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and while the company now sells products through a wide variety of retailers, several of its limited edition celebratory products will be sold exclusively through natural grocers and specialty retailers.

BikeRadar verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. "Weight reflects bargain price but this is a secure, comfy and well thought-out bar."

Bicycling: Road tubeless wheels and tires let you ride lower pressure—for better traction and more comfort—without worrying as much about flats. These seven sets can transform your ride.