“I’ve made a giant step towards the overall victory today...”

CyclingNews: After years of knocking at the door of success, Dario Cataldo’s win on stage 16 of the Vuelta a España, his first in a Grand Tour, represents a key step up for the 27-year-old from Lanciano.

EuroSport: Spain's Joaquim Rodriguez edged further ahead in the Vuelta a Espana after a thrilling finale to a gruelling stage 16, won by Italy's Dario Cataldo from a break.

CyclingNews: The new Cuitu Negru climb which concludes the 2012 Vuelta a España’s single hardest day would not look out of place on a major Alpine stage in the Tour de France. But then, neither would what comes before.

Races & Results.
Vuelta a España -  Aug 18 - Sept 9 (Stages & Results),
Giro Toscana -  Aug 29 - Sept 2 (Stages & Results),
Mountain Bike Championships - Aug 31 - Sept 9 (Races),
Tour de l'Avenir - Aug 16 - Sept 1 (Stages & Results),
CyclingNews: More...

BikeRadar: Bianchi had rather a lot of line-up tweaks to announce at this year’s Eurobike, with changes to road and mountain bike staples both on the cards.

CyclingFans: Monday's Vuelta a Espana Stage 16 departs Gijón at 12:05pm CET (6:05am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Valgrande-Pajares. Cuitunigru at around 5:40pm CET (11:40am U.S. Eastern). Vuelta live streaming video should get underway at around 3:00pm CET (9:00am U.S. Eastern).

PodiumInsight: With a tenuous weather outlook for day two of the THF Realty Gateway Cup, riders gathered for another round of criterium racing in the streets of St. Louis, MO. Marking another year in the Francis Park neighborhood of the Midwest river town, the Tour de Francis showcased a demanding course that proved resistant to the flurry of attacks that would come throughout the day.

VeloNews:  Antonio Piedra (Caja Rural) gave a boost to his wild-card team by winning stage 15 of the Vuelta a España on Sunday.

VeloNation: Diadora-Pasta Zara takes final two stages; signs go missing in Florence finale.

CyclingNews: The 2012 Mountain Bike World Championships in Leogang, Austria, awarded its first title on Saturday evening, with Anneke Beerten of the Netherlands taking the second rainbow jersey of her career.

VeloNation: Governing body waiting for evidence; ‘not afraid’ to punish big names.

InnerRing: Like many cyclists he has a nickame and it’s “Purito”. It sort of means “clean” in Spanish, a diminutive term… but that’s not the origin of his name. Instead it’s because he smoked his team mates on a training camp.

CyclingNews: The Belgian Lotto Belisol team has lost three of its riders at the Vuelta a España over the weekend, due to what seemed to be a viral infection. Jurgen Van Den Broeck, Jens Debusschere and Olivier Kaisen all abandoned the race on Saturday.

CyclingNews: Lloyd Mondory, usually more know for his fast finishing speed, showed in Sunday's Vuelta a Espana stage 15 to Lagos de Covadonga that he is able to surge to the line not only on flat terrain, but also on a HC mountaintop finish.

Cannondale unleashed a wealth of fantastic new bikes at this year's Eurobike, covering a gamut of categories incuding women's, time trial and triathlon, cyclocross and even the ultra-competitive trail bikes.

BikeRumor: Schmolke has reinvented one of the key aspects of the drop road handlebar that’s been a standard as long we’ve known. The new FullOver handlebar tapers from a 31.8 OD clamp section to a 27.5mm diameter by the time it gets to the first bend. The thicker 27.5mm diameter continues all the way to the end of the bars. For reference, standard is 24mm.

TwistedSpoke: Alberto Contador has this funny feeling in the Vuelta a Espana. He’s not used to the feeling, it frustrates and irritates and even surprises him. Trying to dislodge race leader Purito Rodriguez (Katusha) has been impossible.

VeloNation: Spaniard accepts current hierarchy of form.

Covadonga: The Vuelta's Lucky Lakes?

CyclingNews: Legend says race leader at top wins in Madrid.

CompetitiveCyclist: Do What You Hate, Hate What You Do.

VeloNation: Danish Cycling Union chairman concerned about Hamilton’s statements in new book.

PodiumInsight: The 27th running of the Giro della Montagna marked the third stop of the THF Realty Gateway Cup and while violent storms no longer threatened, the temperamental weather served up some surprises for the pro fields.

CyclingNews: Even if French team selector Laurent Jalabert has not yet officially announced the line-up for the Limburg Worlds later this month, L'Equipe has already alleged that Thomas Voeckler will be the leader of the nine-man squad, with Sylvain Chavanel an additional card to play depending on race circumstances.

TwistedSpoke: While Lance Armstrong’s positive PR campaign against the USADA verdict got off to a strong start, advisors for the Texan are annoyed with the slow response from long time Armstrong friend and supporter Bob Rolle.

BikeRadar verdict: 4 out of 5 stars. "Stiff and light and a great upgrade, but you’re going to need deep pockets."

CyclingNews: Stade 2, the weekly television sports show by France 2, claims that the American Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is in possession of blood samples from Lance Armstrong, which they have retested and have now come back positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

CyclingWeekly: UCI President Pat McQuaid insists that cycling's governing body will have no problem in ratifying the US Anti-Doping Agency's decision to strip Lance Armstrong of his seven Tour de France titles.

VeloNews: John Degenkolb (Argos-Shimano) has already won four stages and confirmed himself as one of the revelations of this year’s Vuelta a España.

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BikeRumor: The story of the Abbey Bike Works Crombie tool is that of the genesis of any great tool – it was born out of the desire to do it better, and faster.