SteepHill: Stage 17 start time: Thursday 12:55 CET (3:55 AM PDT); Earliest live video: 12:45 CET (3:45 AM PDT); Approximate finish: 16:59 CET (7:59 AM PDT).

InnerRing: The mountains have long remained a mysterious place where the truth can be as murky as the fog. Before the railways made France accessible, many believed those who lived in the mountains were freakish figures and imagined strange beasts roamed wild. It’s not all false, today you will find bears in the Pyrenees and wolves in the Alps.

CyclingNews: Races & Results.
Tour de France - June 30 - July 22 (Stages & Results),
Cascade Cycling Classic - July 17 - 22 (Stages & Results),
Thüringen Rundfahrt der Frauen - July 16 - 22 (Stages & Results),
Tour de Pologne - July 10 - 16 (Stages & Results),
Giro d'Italia Femminile June 29 - July 7 (Stages & Results),
2012 Olympic Games - July 28 - August 12 (Races),
Vuelta a España - August 18 - September 9 (Stages),
More...

VeloNation: Podium remains unchanged but both riders have put distance into other rivals.

CycleSport: Thomas Voeckler took his second stage win of the Tour in spectacular style in Luchon, while Bradley Wiggins kept a vice-like grip on the race lead.

CyclingNews: French favorite Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) added a second stage win to his 2012 Tour de France account with a masterful performance in stage 16, 197km from Pau to Bagnères-de-Luchon. The 33-year-old Frenchman emerged from a massive 38-rider early break to solo to victory on a legendary Pyrenean parcours, taking in the Col d'Aubisque, Col du Tourmalet, Col d'Aspin and Col de Peyresourde, and arrived at the finish with a 1:40 lead over former breakaway companion Chris Anker Sorensen (Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank).

PEZ: Imagine the scenario. You’re tucked up in bed in some dingy French hotel after a hard day in the mountains. You’re racing in The Greatest Show On Earth. You feel good, great even. Your legs are recovering well and you feel stronger by the day. You are, in fact, quite possibly the strongest guy in the race right now. Lee Rodgers delves into the difficult life of super domestique Chris Froome and ponders the big question - attack the boss or no?

VeloNation: Irishman says heat and accumulated fatigue could cause unexpected weaknesses.

Bicycling: Every WorldTour team has access to a treasure trove of high-end parts and accessories, but Garmin-Sharp works especially closely with its component and clothing sponsors to ensure that its argyle-clad racers have the top gear in the peloton.

CyclingFans:Wednesday's Tour de France Stage 16 departs Pau at 11:05am CET (5:05am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Bagnères-de-Luchon at around 5:17pm CET (11:17am U.S. Eastern).  Tour de France live streaming video should get underway at around 11:00am CET (5:00am U.S. Eastern).  So full start to finish broadcast coverage of Stage 16.

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.

VeloNation: Former European champion Rasa Leleivyte also positive for same substance.

SBS: After the recent re-ignition of allegations against seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, many in professional cycling had hoped for a quiet year on the doping front. But, it seems, the Tour de France always delivers.

CyclingNews: Stage 16 from Pau to Bagnères-de-Luchon may have put an irreversible end to any of Cadel Evans' dreams of defending his 2011 Tour de France crown or even get onto the podium in Paris, but the day also had its positive side for the American BMC team: Tejay van Garderen was able to consolidate his leading position in the young riders classification, gaining almost two minutes on his closest rival, Frenchman Thibaut Pinot (FDJ-BigMat).

VeloNews: Garmin-Sharp sponsors will continue their support of the team, says David Millar, even if its riders and manager may be involved in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency investigation into doping at the U.S. Postal Service.

VeloNation: Emma Johansson holds onto yellow with second place.

VeloNews: Kristin Armstong (Exergy-Twenty12) and Chad Haga (Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies) took out prologue wins at the Cascade Cycling Classic Tuesday night in Bend, Oregon.

BikeRadar: The current Oltre is being raced by the Vacansoleil-DCM pro team, and carried Thomas De Gendt to third place in this year’s Giro d’Italia. But although it’s an undoubtedly excellent bike, feedback from professional riders and Bianchi’s own development team led to the creation of the Oltre XR.

CyclingNews: Coming into the Tour de France you expect that you're going to crash once or twice - just because it's a numbers game but this year in terms of crashes, I've never seen anything like it.

BikeRumor: Ask anyone who’s been to or knows about Sun Valley, Idaho, and they are sure to regale you with stories of endless ribbons of singletrack that stretch as far as the eye can see, weaving their way through picturesque Idaho mountains. Words like buttery, buff, and flow are used a lot. This is for a good reason, the place is unbelievable. It’s no wonder companies like Scott USA and Club ride would want to keep this as the center of their operations – with something like 400 miles of trail literally out the back door, it’s hard to resist.

VeloNation: No return to racing for third Colombian to win Tour King of the Mountains.

CyclingNews: The UCI announced today the provisional suspension for Rasa Leleivyte (Vaiano-Tepso) after the Lithuanian rider returned a positive A-sample for EPO in an out-of-competition control taken on June 12.

VeloNation: Prudhomme, Becca, Gallopin and Schneider comment on positive test.

VeloNews: Cadel Evans admitted his hopes of defending his 2011 Tour de France crown were now over following a crippling performance on the race’s 16th stage on Wednesday.

CyclingWeekly: RadioShack-Nissan found itself caught in the middle of a hurricane overnight on the Tour de France's second rest day in Pau. Its star cyclist, Fränk Schleck, returned an adverse analytical finding for xipamide, a diuretic drug.

Sipping Wine With Francesco Moser.

RedKitePrayer: The Giro d’Italia-sponsored Gran Fondo Pasadena happens this coming weekend and the big star the organizers have recruited to ride the even is none other than Francesco Moser. Winner of the 1984 Giro; the ’78, ’79 and ’80 editions of Paris-Roubaix, the ’77 world champion and victor in scores of other great races, not to mention the hour record, Moser is a true badass.

Bicycling: Best moments from the second week at the 2012 Tour de France.

BikeRadar verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. "A muscular, aerodynamic and sharp-handling bike that’s always quick to respond."

road.cc: New aero alloy wheels feature in the 2013 range.

road.cc: A tasty and healthy snack, but not the best source of energy for performance-orientated cyclists. And not cheap either.