CyclingFans: Saturday's Giro di Lombardia departs Bergamo at 10:35am CET (4:35am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Lecco at around 5:11pm CET (11:11am U.S. Eastern).  Giro di Lombardia live streaming video should get underway at around *2:30pm CET (*8:30am U.S. Eastern).

InnerRing: A duel between Alberto Contador and Philippe Gilbert on some of the most beautiful roads of Europe? The scenery is guaranteed but we could have a wider cast fighting for the win. An exceptionally hard course with difficult conditions forecast means this race is going to test condition, handling skills and the mind.

Races & Results.
Milano-Torino -  Sept 26 (Results),
Giro del Piemonte -  Sept 27 (Results),
Giro di Lombardia -  Sept 29 (Preview),
Tour de Wallonie Picarde -  Sept 27-30 (Stages & Results),
CyclingNews: More...

VeloNation: German sprinter fastest yet again after a day of attacks on hilly Poperinge circuit.

VeloNews: Jeremy Powers (Rapha-Focus) is off to a furious start. He’s won three times in four outings, opening up his title national defense campaign in mean fashion. He seems armed to the teeth. Is it too early to talk about worlds?

Pave': It’s a rare occasion in the United States to have only one-pair of UCI races on a weekend. It’s even rarer to have a UCI C1 race stateside, which is why America’s top cross riders have all assembled on the Gran Prix of Gloucester aka the New England World Championships.

CyclingNews: Professional Continental team Argos Shimano (Felt) is hoping to step up into the UCI World Tour as of next season. The Dutch outfit's management has recently sent in its application dossier to the world governing body of cycling in a bid not to rely solely on wildcard invitations to the greatest races anymore.

CyclingIQ: How does it feel to take a lukewarm two and a half hour bath? Most of the 106 pro cyclists that lined up for today’s 117.4km second stage on the flooded streets of Brunei’s capital city were able to finish knowing the answer, with Tabriz Petrochemical Team’s Hossein Askari the first to towel off.

CyclingNews: This weekend marks, to many, the official start of the Cyclo-cross season in New England with the Gran Prix of Gloucester's UCI C1 and C2 events on September 29th and 30th at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, Massachusetts. The area is set to offer up "true 'cross conditions" with rain in the forecast.

CyclingNews: Rigoberto Uran (Team Sky) won the Gran Piemonte race in Italy with a later solo attack. Paolini and Verdugo complete the podium.

SingleTrack: "It’s definitely challenging to write about our intimate friend without completely over-sharing."

CyclingNews: Vaughters, who allowed to Kimmage to embedded in his team during the 2008 Tour de France, has also said that a cloak of fear may have discouraged a greater number of riders and team managers from defending Kimmage. “I feel like it’s unnecessary and that Paul is being unfairly singled out,” Vaughters told Cyclingnews when describing the UCI’s defamation case.

BikeRadar: Aero wheels used to be regarded as things you owned and used only if you were doing time trials or indulging in the demanding sport of triathlon.

CarolinaCyclingNews: The bike crank set; with 2 rigid directly opposed levers – can hide inefficiency, but the smoother and more efficient pedaling becomes, the less energy you require to produce power.

CycleBoredom: Wiggo has a word with Der Overlord, whilst a teammate tries to stay out of it. But, check out Valverde (far left) staring intently at the Tour winner and UCI president. Priceless.

VeloNews: If Colorado hasn’t already asserted its legacy as cycling’s spiritual home in the U.S., this weekend will see the debut of the Tour of Vail, the final stop on this year’s USA Crits Championship Series. Many eyes will be on a man not taking the start in Sunday’s criterium, however, as U.S. road champion Timmy Duggan takes part in the event to benefit his Just Go Harder Foundation.

VeloNews: For Katie Compton, a little time off was just the ticket. Sure, it’s early in the cyclocross season, but she’s won three times so far, and there’s no reason to think she’ll lose sight of the podium anytime soon.

Peloton: There was a time when winning a Grand Tour, whether it was the Giro, the Tour or the Vuelta, was a matter of talent and temperament, and finding form at the right time. And once a rider had become a champion, he would usually be able to repeat his feat year after year.

BikeRadar: In October, fans of the racing legend Eddy Merckx can buy Merckx 525, a new biography authorized by the Cannibal himself that contains a number of rare photos in a wide-format, coffee table format.

BrowneEye: "The UCI is complicit in myth building as they were motivated by money. The Armstrong myth was the perfect storm to make that happen. But now that storm has been reduced to a breeze as more and more athletes involved start to speak out. What I can speculate and feel confident about is more riders will corroborate what Landis, Hamilton, and Andreu have said. The result – a myth destroyed."

VeloNews: The Union Cycliste International needs to fire its heads if it is to have an impact on doping says embattled journalist Paul Kimmage. The controversial Irish rider-turned-author hit out at the UCI on Thursday, calling for foundation-shifting changes to cycling’s worldwide governing body.

VeloNation: Evergreen cyclist stuns scientists with his fitness and health.

USCyclingReport:  The 2012 USA Cycling Elite Track NationalChampionships kicked off on Thursday with six new national champions crowned at the VELO Sports Center in suburban Los Angeles.

VeloNews: Brent Bookwalter ends his 2012 campaign Saturday at the Giro di Lombardia and is looking to put a strong ending on what he admits was a frustrating summer.

VeloNews: This weekend’s Great Brewers Gran Prix of Gloucester in Massachusetts signals the start of the New England Holy Week of Cyclocross and if there is one man standing at the pulpit for the biggest nine days of ’cross racing in the region, he is Richard Fries.

BrowneEye: Rapha-Focus’ Jeremy Powers is continuing his “Behind the Barriers” series. Another documentary, abet a more serious one, is David Millar’s interview on the Spanish TV sports program.

CyclingNews: The 2012-13 SoCal High School Mountain Bike Racing season starts November 17, 2012, with the much-anticipated SoCal CycleFest, a gala event - with guest star Aaron Gwin - supporting a youth cycling program in the region. The Board of Directors of the SoCal High School Cycling League is proud to announce that this year's CycleFest will take place at Meanda Grove in Riverside.

VeloNation: Irishman staggered by show of support from public, defense fund to exceed $40,000 after one week.