CyclingNews: Tejay van Garderen (BMC) timed his attack to perfection to win stage 2 of the USA Pro Cycling Challenge from Montrose to Crested Butte. The 24-year-old escaped alongside Christian Vande Velde (Garmin-Sharp) on the final climb, shutting down the stage’s early break in the process.

VeloNews: Assan Bazayev (Astana), who like Martin and Clarke was in the break du jour with Luis Angel Mate (Cofidis) and Jesus Rosendo (Andalucia), finished third on the 160.6km stage from Barakaldo to Estación de Valdezcaray.

CyclingNews: Nicolas Roche believes that it is unfair that his current Ag2r-La Mondiale team will accrue no benefit from the UCI points he earns in their colours this season. The Irishman will ride for Saxo Bank-Tinkoff Bank next year, and his haul of points will be added to his new squad’s overall tally as it seeks to retain WorldTour status into 2013.

RedKitePrayer: When the route for the current Vuelta a España was announced last fall, much was made of its record number of 10 mountaintop stage finishes, the most ever in a grand tour.

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: Tour de France winner and Olympic time trial champion Bradley Wiggins has decided to skip the world championships time trial event in Limburg in mid-September. The Team Sky rider said that he will skip the race against the clock because of his full schedule, and in view of his participation on the Tour of Britain, starting September 9.

NBC: A resurrected hover vehicle won't fly through dense forests as effortlessly as the "Star Wars" speeder bikes from "Return of the Jedi," but its intuitive controls could someday allow anyone to fly it without pilot training.

CyclingFans: Tuesday's Vuelta a Espana Stage 4 departs Barakaldo at 1:12pm CET (7:12am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Estación de Valdezcaray 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: Tuesday's Tour of Portugal Stage 6 departs Aveiro at 12:50pm local (7:50am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Viseu 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).

CyclingFans: Tuesday's USA Pro Challenge Stage 2 departs Montrose at 11:25am MDT and is expected at the finish at Crested Butte at around 3:50pm MDT.  USA Pro Challenge live streaming video should get underway at around 11:25am MDT.

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.

We have riders wearing the jersey of one team but riding for another. This happens because they have already signed for a new team for 2013 but are racing the Vuelta for their existing team. For now it’s not changed the results but it is easy to envisage a range of scenarios where the results are distorted.

PodiumCafe: Spring is a long ways away - Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the season opener for the classics, is over six months away! But the transfer market is starting to prompt discussion of exactly what the next season of cobbles and bergs will hold.

CyclingNews: ProTour squad fields very deep roster for USA Pro Challenge.

VeloNews: The braking performance we’re used to on road bikes with high-performance rim brakes will be hard to come by using discs without adding considerable weight and aerodynamic drag.

BikeRadar: Training in your 'sweet spot' can raise your functional threshold power (FTP) using short sessions. Frank Overton from FasCat Coaching who coined the phrase, tells us how.

CyclingTips: Reynolds takes all of their experience with high-end carbon wheelsets and distills it to produce the Assault wheelset with carbon clincher rims for less than $2000. At the same time they claim this wheelset will out-shine both alloy and carbon wheelsets on offer from their competitors.

road.cc: Polar has revealed details of its first fully integrated GPS training watch, the new RC3 GPS. Previously Polar watches used a separate GPS unit but they've now incorporated it into the watch.

road.cc: Introducing the Colossal disc-equipped road bike, plus the Warbird and Vaya Travel.

BikeRadar verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. "Smooth riding and exceptional handling but Ultegra Di2 can be bought for less."

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

PodiumInsight: What would you do if you found yourself in a 22-rider break that also included one teammate and four riders from the Garmin-Sharp team and a few more from other WorldTour teams? Would you work? When to work and how much to work are part of tactics 101 while in a breakaway.

VeloNation: British team keeps the hammer down as the race leader picks himself up off the tarmac.

PodiumCafe: When the USA Pro Challenge hits the mountains this week, the black-kitted form of Joe Dombrowski will almost certainly be near the front of the bike race.

VeloNation: “We have to be optimistic for the next stages.”

Peloton: "Early this spring I spent several weeks with InGamba Tours in the Chianti region of Tuscany and their hospitality and support was a key factor in my Tour de France training and subsequent success."

VeloNews: Most riders wore expressions of agony at the top of the short but brutally steep Arrate climb on Monday in the third stage at the Vuelta a España, but Ji Cheng was all smiles.

BicycleRetailer: Shimano's PRO component brand is introducing a line of three high performance saddles this fall, with an interactive online feature that helps consumers choose which model is right for them.

road.cc: A great value set of brakes with good power for their weight.

Bicycling: Government standards ensure that every bike helmet sold in the United States will help protect you in a crash. But for most riders, safety alone isn't enough: A good helmet is comfortable, fits securely without being too tight, offers ample ventilation--and doesn't look dorky. We evaluated five road helmets that cost between $140 and $180. These three are our favorites.

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.