CyclingFans: Friday's Vuelta a Espana Stage 13 departs Santiago de Compostela at 1:20pm CET (7:20am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Ferrol 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).

VeloNews: The short but explosive climb up the Mirador de Ézaro on Thursday might have been a tad too steep for Andrew Talansky’s tastes, but for the second-year pro, this Vuelta a España is unfolding like a daily seminar on how to race a grand tour.

Rodriguez scoops second stage win with powerful finishing surge.

Katusha rider extends lead, Contador second and gains time on others.

VeloNation: World champion building for another World title defence; Marta Tagliaferro into pink.

Races & Results.
Vuelta a España - August 18 - September 9 (Stages & Results),
Tour de l'Avenir - August 16 - September 1 (Stages & Results),
USA Pro Cycling Challenge - August 20 - 26 (Stages & Results),
Tour of Denmark - August 22 - 26 (Stages & Results),
CyclingNews: More...

VeloNation: Froome, Valverde, Meyer, Martin, Gesink, Mollema, Gilbert, Monfort and more on the TT.

CyclingNews: Joaquim Rodriguez has started the Vuelta a España with a bang and has moved himself back up to third place in the Index. The Spaniard has held the leader’s jersey for seven days already, won a stage and come second in another three.

Bicycling: The details on your body’s cooling system.

BikeRadar verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. "Impressive performance for the price, with excellent optical clarity and decent fit."

VeloNation: General classification on a knife edge after time trial.

VeloNation: Veteran broadcaster faulted after comments on South African talk show.

VeloNation: 2011 Vuelta a España-winning team wins case over unpaid sponsorship.

CyclingNews: Omloop Het Nieuwsblad winner Sep Vanmarcke (Garmin-Sharp) is reportedly set to be the subject of legal action after he began speaking with other teams having already reached an agreement with RadioShack-Nissan.

Bicycling: "Now some of you may be wondering why I signed on for another year of racing. After all, I’ll be 41 in just a matter of days. And as many of you know I started this season saying that this might well be my last season. And actually for much of spring, I was pretty much thinking that it would be just that."

VeloNation: Dutch rouleur takes first pink jersey following post-Olympic break.

BicycleRetaiiler: The handlebars. manufactured by Great Go Cycles Inc., of Taiwan, can break during riding.

road.cc: Cooper Bikes show off Avus Alfine 11-spd Di2 bike with drop bar electronic shifting, discs & stainless steel frame.

road.cc: Surprisingly capable spray that's stout enough for chains.

NBC: Lance Armstrong introduced himself as a seven-time Tour de France champion at a cancer conference in Montreal on Wednesday.

LATimes: The system is so relentlessly rigged that even Lance Armstrong doesn't see a point in fighting.

NBC: Tyler Hamilton says Lance Armstrong gave him an illegal blood booster at his house before the 1999 Tour de France and the two teammates compared notes on using performance enhancing drugs as far back as 1998.

TwistedSpoke: In the long, tangled, exhausting and confusing Armstrong case, we’ve come to a few observations and this is one of them: PR matters more than legal judgement.

ESPN: I'm wearing something yellow Friday for Lance Armstrong. Not because I think he's innocent. He just gave up his chance to prove his innocence, so I suppose he isn't.

VeloNews:  Another stage win on Thursday and another time bonus mean that Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) will enjoy yet another day in the red race leader’s jersey at the Vuelta a España. The pint-sized Rodríguez has so far proven a canny rival and the question midway through the Vuelta is how long “Purito” can hang on. Or, perhaps more importantly, can he dare to dream to win the race?

CyclingNews: Former Rabobank stalwart Michael Boogerd claims he is owed 40,000 Swiss francs after Oscar Camenzind (Mapei-Bricobi) took a six second victory over the Dutchman at the 1998 Giro di Lombardia.

IrishPeloton: A stage win in the Tour de France can make a rider’s career. It will boost their salary, increase their marketability and make them a more wanted man. A stage win in the Tour de France achieved by a Frenchman is on another level again.

"When the race medics asked, “what stage is this?” and I responded, “Colorado,” they told me to abandon the USA Pro Challenge, but quitting makes quitting easier. Plus, our mechanic had already collected my broken frame and lifted my leg over a spare bike aimed at the finish."

VeloNews: The Garmin feeder team — currently named Chipotle-First Solar — is a paragon among development squads, producing the likes of Alex Howes and Peter Stetina (both of whom ride for Garmin-Sharp now) and UnitedHealthcare staigiaire Danny Summerhill, and was key in the comeback of confessed doper Thomas Dekker from his EPO ban.

VeloNation: Luxembourg rider facing possible disciplinary action after July 14 control finds diuretic.