SBS: The victory hopes of sprint rivals Mark Cavendish and Matt Goss could be put on hold for the opening stage of the Tour de France which ends on a small uphill finish more suited to the "punchers."

VeloNews: Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp) is hoping to break into the winner’s column during the Tour de France after a season marked by near-misses for the American sprinter.

CyclingFans: Saturday's Tour de France Prologue (6.4km) at Liege gets underway at 2:00pm CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern) with the departure of the first rider and is expected to finish at around 5:25pm CET (11:25am U.S. Eastern).  Tour de France live streaming video should get underway at around 2:15pm CET (8:15am U.S. Eastern).

Coverage News...

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.

CyclingNews: Races & Results.
Tour de France - June 30 - July 22 (Stages & Results),
Giro d'Italia Femminile June 29 - July 7 (Stages & Results),
Tour of Qinghai Lake June 29 - July 12 (Stages & Results),
Tour of Americas Dairyland June 21 - July 1 (Stages & Results),
2012 Olympic Games - July 28 - August 12 (Races),
Vuelta a España - August 18 - September 9 (Stages),
More...

Boulder Report: Evans has accomplished the neat trick of being the first defending champion since 2008 to enter the race as underdog. The honor of the preemptive race favorite doesn’t go to Evans but, rather, Wiggins, who has won three major stage races this year in commanding fashion.

InnerRing: For one of the biggest sporting events in the world the prize list is surprisingly modest. A total of €2,022,900 in prizes will be paid out and teams also share a pot of over one million Euros in expenses.

StickyBottle: Dan Martin is to record his Tour de France debut with a daily diary in The Irish Times. Martin has agreed a deal with the paper, which begins with a preview tomorrow, Saturday, and will be followed by a diary every day for the duration of the three-week race.

BikeRadar: Tony Martin shocked tubular tire aficionados when he won last year's UCI time trial world championships on Continental clinchers, and then repeated the feat to capture the German national title.

VeloNews: BMC Racing’s defense of the maillot jaune opened with the team taking the best young rider’s jersey, thanks to the strong legs of Tejay van Garderen.

VeloNation: World number one increases overall lead over short, flat test.

VeloNews: To commemorate George Hincapie's record-setting 17th Tour de France, BMC custom-painted this SL01 with gold highlights, "lucky seventeen" and "gentleman's round" motifs. Hincapie has a saddle height of 82.5cm, a reach of 62.3cm (tip of saddle to center of bars), uses a 140mm stem and 175mm crankarms. He trains and races with an SRM power meter, and uses a Fizik Aliante saddle.

CyclingIQ: Team Specialized Concept Store’s Fabian Schnaidt bagged his third win of 2012 in yesterday’s opening stage, a 96.8km criterium in the Qinghai capital city of Xining. In doing so, the 2011 German U23 road cycling champion also claimed his first victory on Asian soil.

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

road.cc: The bikes Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish and team are racing in Le Tour.

VeloNews: With the introduction of its brand-new 675 endurance frame, Look has pulled off a neat trick: a relaxed bike that doesn’t look like a begging dog — high in handlebar, low in top tube, and utterly unaggressive.

InnerRing: With the official start list available, the 22 teams of the the Tour de France are now confirmed. Here’s the list of each squad with info on the sponsors, bikes and some thoughts on what they might do in the race.

CyclingNews: Plus Dennis to Sky?, Grabsch targets final TT and Wiggins talks up Van Den Broeck.

CyclingNews: UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani has confirmed to members of the media that three riders of RadioShack-Nissan have not been paid their salaries since the month of May, L'Equipe has reported. These three riders have turned to the world governing body of cycling to signal the failure of payment, which in turn is currently seeking answers of the team manager Johan Bruyneel.

BikeRadar verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. "Super-lightweight, responsive, balanced and accurate, these are ecellent wheels but at a high price"

VeloNews: Ex-pro Erik Zabel is expecting Mark Cavendish to come out on top despite not having a full train at his disposal during this year’s Tour de France.

CyclingNews: Tour of Borneo winner Michael Torckler (BikeNZ – PureBlack) was the victim of a hit and run while training in Santa Rosa, USA. According to Torckler's team local police are talking with a passenger from the car and the driver who fled the scene of the accident.

road.cc: No-bling carbon-soled road shoes, offering light weight and good performance in a good value package.

RedKitePrayer: Specialized, in conjunction with McLaren has introduced a new ultra-aero time trial helmet. So new, so special is this helmet that only two of them exist—so far. As you read this, those helmets are in the possession of Tony Martin and Levi Leipheimer.

BikeRadar verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. "Query over comfort on deep cracks but the stiff, super-light frame is a natural climber."

VeloNews: Saturday's short prologue didn't suit five-time Swedish time trial champ Gustav Larsson, but he'll be looking towards the next two time trials to make a mark. He rides a Large Bianchi Pico Crono, kitted out by sponsors FSA, FFWD, Shimano and KMC.

CyclingNews: A review board has recommended that the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) file anti-doping rule violations against Lance Armstrong, it was announced today. The agency claims to have evidence that the seven-time Tour de France champion conspired to boost his and his US Postal team's performance through the use of performance enhancing drugs.

CyclingNews: When he rolls down the prologue start ramp in Liège just after half past four on Saturday afternoon, George Hincapie (BMC) will set a new record for appearances in the Tour de France. Just a day after turning 39, the New Yorker will be embarking on his 17th Tour, which will also be his final appearance in a race that he admits has been the making of him.