VeloNews: Alberto Contador came out to play on Monday, attacking a half-dozen times en route to the finish of stage 3 at Alto de Arrate and proving that he will indeed be a contender for the overall at the 2012 Vuelta a España.

VeloNews: Philippe Gilbert (BMC Racing) gave it a good shove in Monday’s third stage at the Vuelta a España in what he hopes is a preview of what lies in store for the world championships.

CyclingNews: Races & Results.
Vuelta a España - August 18 - September 9 (Stages),
USA Pro Cycling Challenge - August 20 - 26 (Stages & Results),
Tour du Limousin - August 14 - 17 (Stages & Results),
Breck Epic - August 12 - 17 (Stages & Results),
2012 Olympic Games - July 28 - August 12 (Races),
Tour of Utah - August 7 - 12 (Stages & Results),
More...

CyclingNews: Jens Voigt confirmed today that he has renewed with the RadioShack-Nissan team through the 2013 season. The German had toyed with retirement earlier in the year, but told Cyclingnews earlier this month that the Tour de France gave him confidence that he can still perform.

CyclingFans: Monday's Vuelta a Espana Stage 3 departs Faustino V at 1:35pm CET (7:35am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Eibar (Arrate) at around 5:40pm CET (11:40am U.S. Eastern). Vuelta live streaming video should get underway at around 4:00pm CET (10:00am U.S. Eastern).

CyclingFas: Monday's Tour of Portugal Stage 5 departs Armamar at 12:40pm local (7:40am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Oliveira de Azemeis at around 5:30pm local (12:30pm U.S. Eastern). Tour of Portugal live streaming video should get underway at around 4:00pm local (11:00am U.S. Eastern).

RBAction: The USA Cycling Pro Mountain Bike Cross-Country Tour (Pro XCT) wrapped up on Saturday with the Subaru Cup in Mt. Morris, Wisconsin.

BikeRadar verdict: 3 out of 5 stars: "The Fuel EX is still one of the best trail bikes around but the 9.7 doesn’t convince as an upgrade over the 9.0."

CyclingNews: Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Sharp) won his first race in over a year with a dominant sprint on stage 1 of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge from Durango to Telluride. The American was in commanding form on the run in to Telluride, benefiting from earlier work from his teammates who had dominated the early break and then helped to set up a sprint finish over the demanding 202.1 km stage.

CyclingFans: Monday's USA Pro Challenge Stage 1 departs Durango at 10:00am MDT and is expected at the finish at Telluride at around 3:50pm MDT.  USA Pro Challenge live streaming video should get underway at around 10:00am MDT.

CyclingNews: Team manager talks Schlecks and changes for 2013 season.

BikeRadar: Bike riders often fall into two camps – those who like to go up, and those who prefer to come down. Many cyclists will say they climb to descend, preferring the thrill and adrenaline rush of a helter skelter descent to the interminable suffering of a 20km climb.

"Between November 1 and the Tour of Austria ending July 8, I’d logged 43 race days, more than 14,700 miles, and just 19 days off including international travel since November 1."

VeloNews: Eco-friendly custom kits made in the USA. Comfortable, snug, aero, and homemade from recycled materials.  Could breathe slightly better, but only slightly.

BikeRadar: Carbohydrates sometimes get a bad press, but the right carbs at the right time are the cyclist’s friend. Recent research from the University of Bath shows that athletes who drank carbohydrate sports drinks during an Olympic distance triathlon improved their performance times.

CyclingNews: Texas district court judge Sam Sparks has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Lance Armstrong's attorneys against the US Anti-Doping Agency on Monday.

PodiumInsight: Guarnier now stands 4th overall, just 12 seconds behind the race leader. Lauren Hall took 10th place in today’s stage.

VeloNews: The RadioShack-Nissan stint didn’t pan out for Jakob Fuglsang. But one thing he learned in his time there may serve him better down the line than a year of racing the grand tours ever could.

InnerRing: If only the weather forecast was accurate. Riders in the Vuelta a España can look online or in the newspaper and see temperatures of 32°C (90°F) quoted for today… but these temperatures never reflect the reality of the road cyclist.

TwistedSpoke: Howdy from Durango and the Diamond Belle bar in the Historic Strater hotel. Now, being an inquisitive cycling fan, you might be wondering — did I see Vincenzo Nibali in a ten gallon hat?