It is a first for the Absa Cape Epic – two time trials in the 2011 race. Thursday’s test was a 32km route through the foothills of Brandwacht. The route data showed 860m of climbing which may not seem like a lot, but over such a short distance it required a hard effort.

What a trip we had! A lot of fast driving, bad jokes and beating up on each other on the rides.

Colorado looks set to have a new women’s stage race after it was announced that plans are under way for a three-day race to be held at the same time as the Quiznos Pro Challenge.

One year ago, Ben Day was sitting on the top of the moon. His long-time dream of racing in Europe at the top-level seemed to be within his grasp with the Pegasus Sports project. He had just won the overall at the San Dimas Stage Race and was about to embark on a very successful season with his Fly V Australia team.

Team Captain Meredith Miller will lead a strong Team TIBCO squad at the 27th annual Redlands Bicycle Classic.

After the windy morning stage, Bert De Backer (Skil-Shimano) was leading the race but the young Belgian was not expected to hold on for the overall win as he is not considered to be a specialist against the clock.

Thursday's Three Days of De Panne Stage 3b, the afternoon stage, is a 14.7km Individual Time Trial at De Panne scheduled to begin at 2:30pm CET (8:30am U.S. Eastern).  Time Trial live streaming video should also begin at around that time.

The official start of the NRC is here, and every team is sending its A squad to the 27th edition of the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

Intermediate sprint gives Bert De Backer the overall lead.

The typically bad Belgian weather is taking its toll on the Three Days of De Panne. Several favourites have decided not to take the start of the penultimate stage on Thursday morning, as rain is pouring down on the North Sea coast around De Panne, where the last two stages are held.

Thursday's Three Days of De Panne Stage 3a, the morning stage, departs De Panne at 9:25am CET (3:25am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in De Panne around 12:10pm CET (6:10am U.S. Eastern).  Three Days of De Panne live streaming video should begin from around 10:30am CET (4:30am U.S. Eastern).

Track mechanics for both Great Britain and Australia who have used white vinegar to clean tires just before events on the velodrome.

CyclingTips: TRIGON RCC613 Bike Review.

Most of you won’t have heard of TRIGON Exotic Material Technology.

VeloNews: Francisco Mancebo wins prologue at Redlands Bicycle Classic.....

Francisco Mancebo (Realcyclist.com) showed the U.S. peloton he means business Thursday, topping the Sun Time Trial prologue at the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

Neben (HTC-Highroad) clocked a time of 11:12 in the 3.7-mile uphill Sun Time Trial in Redlands, California. Her teammate, U.S. time trial champion Evelyn Stevens trailed in eight seconds slower, with Tibco-To The Top’s Erinne Willock finishing third in 11:25.

For the classics-crazy Belgians there is one race that stands out on the racing calendar - the Tour of Flanders. The Ronde, as it is called by the Dutch speaking Flemish, was started by the newspaper Sportwereld in 1913 and is one of the five Monuments in professional cycling.

As we rode up the Muur, down the other side and on to the Bosberg, in pissing, freezing rain, that I suddenly understood. By the time we rode up the Kemmelberg later that afternoon, I was hooked.

Written submissions now due to be lodged.

Today's Quote:

“It's always my biggest pet-peeve when I lose GC hopes and my friends tell me 'you should just go in a breakaway'. They have no idea how hard it is to get into one of those damn things. Then once you're there you need to ride in the wind all day. Getting into breakaways sucks!” - Tejay van Garderen PodiumCafe

1978 – 1986 In the years immediately following its introduction to the race route (and before it was banned for a number of years because of its dangers), the Koppenberg acts as a link to an earlier, more heroic era.

We’ve never seen television coverage of Flanders and we are so insanely excited it’s a tad embarrassing.

Sure, the Koppenberg with it's illustrious history of heartbreak, devilish 22% face, and the river of mud that always seems to be flowing, is often the centerpiece of any Ronde Van Vlaanderan discussion, but often overlooked is it's next door neighbor the Paterberg.

He won Gent-Wevelgem, Henninger Turm, Paris-Bourges, the GP Fourmies and eight Tour de France stages; he's England's Barry Hoban.

Good balance is critical for conquering difficult rides. The first step to better balance is being able to keep your body mass centered while reacting to adverse terrain. Use these simple drills to improve your body's stability.

"An excellent, light all-rounder with a sensible pricetag."

It’s one of those head-scratching moments. Faced with accusations that the Spanish federation’s verdict on the Contador case was influenced by political and judicial power… Spanish sports minister Jaime Lissavetzky has said it wasn’t.

The UCI confirmed to Cyclingnews today that there were no adverse analytical findings from the doping controls performed at the 2011 Paris-Nice stage race.

With the Tour of Flanders just a few days away and Fabian Cancellara (Leopard Trek) starting as the race favourite Cyclingnews picked the brains of some of cycling's most knowledgeable experts as to how to beat the reigning champion.

The scientific expert of the French Anti-Doping Agency AFLD, Michel Rieu, has spoken in favor of the "no needle" policy currently being discussed within the sport. At the moment, only a few teams including Garmin-Cervélo has implemented this, but UCI president Pat McQuaid has also recently supported the idea.

Milan-San Remo is the first of the Spring Classics and the longest race of modern day cycling, at 298 kilometres. The sprinters have a chance to shine in this race from Italy's fashion capital to the Ligurian seaside town of San Remo.

With the weather forecast suggesting showers are likely between now and Sunday’s Tour of Flanders and rain on the start line in De Panne today, here’s a quick look at an item of pro kit that’s not often featured: the rain bag.

The Pyrénées. With the possible exception of the Dolomites, no other mountain range strikes as much fear and wonder in the hearts of cyclists.

Italian manufacturer to bring equipment against the watch up to speed with the rest of its groupsets.

It works, it looks good and it's exceptionally easy to fit a saddle to it. Job done.

You might know Andy Rihs as the boss of BMC Racing but he’s become wealthy by creating a hearing aid company, Sonova. A Swiss company, Sonova is the world’s leading manufacturer in this sector. If you haven’t heard of it, you might have known it under its previous name of Phonak.

Aside from the same broken and pitted pavement faced by riders throughout the L.A. area the lane has never been swept, resulting in lots of broken glass, as well as ice plant growing into the bike lane.

Germans Hannes Genze and Jochen Käss broke the hammerlock that Burry Stander and Christoph Sauser had on the 2011 Cape Epic by winning stage three on Wednsday.

With the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix on the horizon, riders are putting the final touches to their training and preparation, but behind the scenes teams are working overtime to make sure that their bikes and equipment are in perfect condition and ready for the challenges ahead.

Wednesday’s 219km course, run in windy and damp conditions, used several Flandrian climbs early on the course, including the cobbled Kemmelberg, one of the defining climbs of Ghent-Wevelgem.

Wednesday's Three Days of De Panne Stage 2 departs Oudenaarde at 11:25 CET (5:25am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Koksijde around 4:45pm CET (10:45am U.S. Eastern).  Three Days of De Panne live streaming video should begin from around 2:30pm CET (8:30am U.S. Eastern).

Rachel Neylan is relatively new to professional cycling but is one of the most active women I know in the persuit of getting women’s cycling better exposure.

Millar is easing into the 2011 season after the opening months of the year were hampered by a bout with the flu. The veteran expects to be back at the top of his game in time for the season’s most important dates.

The Women’s Prestige Cycling Series kicks off Thursday with the Redlands Bicycle Classic in California. Redlands, which runs through Sunday, is the first of four stage races in the series, which is beginning its eighth season as the only national-level competition produced by women, for women.

Australian-based UCI Continental squad V Australia will begin its season Stateside at the National Racing Calendar (NRC) opener, the Redlands Bicycle Classic, held from March 31 to April 3 in California. The 15-man team will target the majority of NRC events this season, in addition to select stage races in Asia.

Team director Danny Van Haute is bringing his best veteran riders to the four-day stage race. “I’m looking for big results there – podium finishes,” he said.

The problem with Spanish cycling is expressed in many ways. One of them is a lack of propriety. The definition being, “the state or quality of conforming to conventionally accepted standards of behavior or morals.”

Alejandro Valverde will have his choice of teams to ride for when he returns from his doping suspension next season, but Eusebio Unzué hopes he will come back to his team, now called Movistar but formerly Caisse d'Epargne.

Defending champion Chris Horner (RadioShack) will line up with the No. 1 start bib for the upcoming Vuelta al País Vasco (April 4-9) in what should see a record number of North Americans start the six-day race.

Today's Quote:

“It's always my biggest pet-peeve when I lose GC hopes and my friends tell me 'you should just go in a breakaway'. They have no idea how hard it is to get into one of those damn things. Then once you're there you need to ride in the wind all day. Getting into breakaways sucks!” - Tejay van Garderen PodiumCafe

The Ronde van Vlaanderen, the Tour of Flanders, is a bike race held this Sunday. But it is so much more than a bike race, so much more than a sports event. It is a sociological phenomenon, a cultural and national event.

Just as she was embarking on a road cycling career in 2000, Amber Neben won the overall at the San Dimas Stage Race. Two years later, she was racing on the T-Mobile Professional Women’s Team where she won the U.S. National Road Championships.

It is my firm belief that it is within the nature of men to covet things. To develop passions that steal our senses from us and cause us to do things like drive to Montreal by moonlight on a Saturday night after the bars close with the lights off and the cassette player blaring Tom Waits.

Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, owners of Clif Bar & Company and Clif Family Winery & Farm, have opened the doors to Velo Vino Napa Valley, a new tasting room destination located at the southern end of Main Street in St. Helena.

Next weekend’s Paris-Roubaix (10 April) will see Thor Hushovd and his Garmin-Cervélo teammates race over the cobbles on prototype wheels from Mavic code named M40. They’re semi-deep section carbon wheels designed especially for the Classics and cobbles.

The Tour of Flanders is one of the most beautiful races of the year. Here, our team of writers give their impressions of the race and try to predict the outcome.

The earthquake and tsunami in Japan were terrible, and the unfolding nuclear catastrophe threatens to overshadow even those disasters.

I know from experience that most Shimano drive train parts can be mixed and matched — i.e. 9-speed road shifters with 9-speed mountain derailleurs (on the ‘cross bike); 10-speed road shifters, cassette, and chain with 9-speed derailleurs (on the road bike), etc.

All ready for Ronda Pilipinas! Javier Mantecon LBC SVP-Marketing shakes hand with Ric Rodriguez Technical Consultant for Ronda.

CompetitiveCyclist: The Painter's Eyes.

During the glorious hours between 10am-3pm: The roads are empty. The sun is brighter and higher. That clarity of light -- it's like being lent a set of painter's eyes.

The road graffiti saying “God is terug” means “God is back”.

You know, if you can work you way around the traffic and crowds in San Diego, it is pretty much as close as you can get to paradise. It really is. Maybe not San Diego proper, but North County.

Forget all the reasons that are apparent to race tubular tires, better ride, better cornering, more supple, etc. One of the main reason to ride them that is hardly ever mentioned is that they stay on your rim when they go flat.

You might know Andy Rihs as the boss of BMC Racing but he’s become wealthy by creating a hearing aid company, Sonova. A Swiss company, Sonova is the world’s leading manufacturer in this sector. If you haven’t heard of it, you might have known it under its previous name of Phonak.

How many times can you say you've woken up in the morning and had a major race start just a couple thousand meters down the road? For me, up until this morning, my total was a big fat goose egg.

Last fall, in a town just outside of Melbourne, Australia, a man most had written off for the road race title amazed many and sprinted home to take the gold medal and rainbow jersey of World Champion. That man was Norwegian rider Thor Hushovd.

Cycling has, since its inception as a sport in the nineteenth century, been riven by disputes between the principal stakeholders involved in it. For most of the sport's history, those stakeholders have been: the teams / sponsors; the media / race organisers; and the riders.

I still cranked it up two hills pretty darn hard chasing after one Swami who climbs like a god (this guy made me feel like every work-out I did in the winter was insignificant and like my legs were made of bologna with a measly 6% meat protein content).

"It keeps the chain on and is light and ridiculously cheap considering the competition. Bingo!"

These pretty fenders are made from laminated Moso bamboo with a marine-grade finish. If you look closely, you’ll notice the blades have a subtle compound curve (the woodworkers in the crowd will have to tell us how they did that).

By law, bicyclists in the 81,000-population town of Edmond, Oklahoma, will get a little breathing room from passing cars beginning next month.

Each race will provide 100 qualifying spots to the LT100, the best known and most prestigious mountain bike race in North America.

Z-man is back. No, not Dave Zabriskie — he’s never been away. We’re talking about Tom Zirbel who just had his two year suspension for doping suspension cut six months short by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

Leif Hoste (Katusha) was forced out of the Three Days of De Panne after a crash on stage one. The 33-year-old Belgian, who was using the race as a warm up for this weekend's Tour of Flanders, crashed hard, hitting his head. He lost at least one tooth, while also suffering a wound above his right eye.

Tuesday's Three Days of De Panne Stage 1 departs Middelkerke at 11:55 CET (5:55am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Zottegem around 4:40pm CET (10:40am U.S. Eastern).  Three Days of De Panne live streaming video should begin from around 2:30pm CET (8:30am U.S. Eastern).

The Driedaagse De Panne-Koksijde, a three-day stage race in coastal Flanders starting today, was not initially on his racing programme but Sylvain Chavanel opted to include it anyway. The Quick Step rider will be lining up as team leader in Middelkerke on Tuesday morning, and even if he said that he'd use the event more as training in view of the Tour of Flanders this week-end, the Frenchman could still be a favorite for the overall.

Face it: Fabian Cancellara deserves to be a heavy, heavy favorite heading into this week's Tour of Flanders. He defended his E3 title with ease this past weekend and his form is seemingly as good as it's ever been.

Australian track sprinter Shane Perkins did not receive the “normal reception” when he returned home from the world championships last night.

Still believes she is on track for strong Olympic Games.

After winning the prologue, the South African/Swiss team of Burry Stander and Christoph Sauser (36ONE Songo Specialized) cemented their lead in the 2011 Absa Cape Epic with victory in Stage 1 from Tulbagh.

Video highlights of some of the biggest races of the year, including comprehensive daily coverage of the 2011 Tour de France.

Terra Australis is in the tradition of the monster mountain bike races overseas: the Cape Epic (South Africa), Trans Rockies (Canada) and Trans Alps (Europe). The format, as with these races, is simple: seven successive days through high mountains – in pairs.

All you need is a watch, a little patience and just two days a week.

CB2, the younger, hipper sister store of Crate and Barrel, is the latest housewares and furniture retailer to jump into the bicycle business.

Today's Quote:

“Other values have appeared that are ten times over the higher value from so-called plasticizers [such as di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) – ed.], which are used in blood bags. These values were measured one day before the positive dope control. These blood bag softener values could indicate that autologous blood doping may have been performed.” - Hajo Seppelt VeloNation

Jonathan Vaughters never said it was going to be easy. Like matching argyle with seer sucker and a fur coat and rubber galoshes.

L’Equipe has a good interview with Grégory Baugé, the triple world champion on the track. There’s plenty of detail about the riding, the training and hopes for the Olympics in 2012.

The 35th KBC Driedaagse van De Panne-Koksijde began today with Stage 1 of the four-stage/three-day event.

Sarah Hammer raced into the record books. After earning a gold in the individual pursuit, a silver in the team pursuit and a silver medal in the omnium, Hammer became the first American woman to earn three medals at a cycling world championship.

I know that you know that cobbles + gradients = pain. And that rain makes matters worse. As does distance. And cobbled flat sections. And narrow, twisting roads.

One of the most feared ramps of the Tour of Flanders, the Koppenberg is 600 metres of cobbles. It comes as the ninth climb, after 181km, so it is not usually a launchpad for the win. But it is highly strategic.

Sometimes a little help from your friends is exactly what you need.

From where we were sitting, E3 blew Ghent-Wevelgem out of the water. If this weekend’s racing was E3′s death knell, it was spectacular.

The Muur van Geraardsbergen is the most famous climb of the Tour of Flanders, which takes place on Sunday. Cycle Sport’s Iconic Places series covered it in the January 2009 edition of the magazine.

Last week, Professional Continental outfit Team Type 1-Sanofi Aventis were forced to pull out of the final stage of the Settimana Coppi e Bartali after all of their Colnago bikes and frames were stolen from team vehicles the previous evening.

Alessandro Ballan is living proof of the “rainbow jersey curse”. The BMC Racing Team Italian is back in contention in races for practically the first time since winning the world championship in 2008, even though he is now up against the seemingly-indomitable Fabian Cancellara (Leopard Trek).

In an attempt to really showcase their close relationship with pro cyclists in the process of developing new wheels, Mavic has released two videos that chronicle what is needed to develop a new road or mountain wheel.

Cancellara, who dominated last weekend's E3 Prijs Vlaanderen in nearby Harelbeke, is aiming to become the first rider to do the Flanders and Paris-Roubaix double twice.

Success is the only way that can describe Pure Black Racing’s first race in the USA, the San Dimas Stage Race.

Giant has another carbon 29′er hardtail to add to the barrage of new bikes from Santa Cruz and Kona that we have already covered this week.

UCI president says that Contador hasn’t yet proven that meat was the cause of positive test.

Dumb guys don’t win bike races. At least on a constant basis. This guy did.

Time trial specialist helps officials in two anti-doping cases.

New teams and new favorites make this year’s Women’s Prestige Cycling Series wide open when it begins Thursday in California with the Redlands Bicycle Classic.

Catalunya clash has given both riders a good chance to measure each other up.

The statuesque Frenchman soon proved his worth, winning the blue meta volante sprints jersey at the Tour of Murcia.

Shown above is the size medium Highball carbon fiber 29er hardtail, and it comes in at 21lbs 14oz. I weighed the complete size run of all three except the small Blur TRc because there weren’t any on hand.

It's the shoes. It's the shoes.

"The appliance of science gives Specialized a winner."

The clip, titled Free, poses a question asked by many female riders: "Why does everything have to be pink?" It shows Traharn smashing a pink bike before heading out on a blue Commencal Meta 6 to shred some singletrack.

Colin Reuter, better known as ResultsBoy has been running CrossResults.com for the last four and half years.  Well, after working around the clock on the site when not doing his “real job” Reuter evaluated his life and used his number crunching skills to come up with a valuation of his website.

"Good downhill suspension performance for a cross-country race bike, but elsewhere it's hampered by pedaling feedback and a surprising lack of steering stiffness."

I was racing the Tour of Southland, in New Zealand, a few years back and on the last day it was super windy. Like 40-50 mph windy.

Compact single-ring chainset that gives a good ratio range when coupled with a hub gear.

Tuesday's Three Days of De Panne Stage 1 departs Middelkerke at 11:55 CET (5:55am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Zottegem around 4:40pm CET (10:40am U.S. Eastern).  Three Days of De Panne live streaming video should begin from around 2:30pm CET (8:30am U.S. Eastern).

This week is Driedaagse de Panne. You will see it referred to as tres jours, three days, three dogs, and the bread race (even though "panne" is only bread in Italian and Google says it's Dutch for "breakdown," not something you want to name a bike race after.)

It was every bit as dramatic as it everyone thought it would be on the final Stage Nine of the Tour de Taiwan 2011.

Australian Ben Day did it again at San Dimas Stage Race. He and his new squad, the Kenda/5-Hour Energy team, reeled in every move in the 90-minute Incycle/Cannondale Old Town Grand Prix to bring it down to a bunch sprint.

The San Dimas Stage Race is becoming the Ben Day and Highroad show. Last weekend Kenda-5-hour Energy’s Day took his third consecutive overall title – and Amber Neben won the fourth overall title in a row for HTC-Highroad – in the final tune-up for the Redlands Classic.

The trophy was as big as the winner. Janel Holcomb, Colavita-forno D’aso, in Woman's Top 15.

British champion has no designs on the overall World Cup but is angry over the loss of major races.

Tyler Farrar was outsprinted for third behind Tom Boonen and Daniele “Mister Second Place” Bennati at Ghent-Wevelgem.

Belgian Classics contender Philippe Gilbert did not compete with the big sprinters in the bunch gallop of Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday, but still affirmed his fitness was where it should be one week ahead of the Tour of Flanders.

I’ve acquiesced Gavia’s request to start blogging here at the Café. So get used to seeing my name pop up around here a little more often!

As someone who has spent their life around bikes, seeing one set up in the manner shown above offends me greatly in the same way socks and sandals would offend a fashion expert.

A posse of Prospect Park residents have signed up a hotshot corporate lawyer, on a pro bono basis, to sue the city for having abused its authority by installing the Prospect Park West (PPW)  bike lane, alleging that it connived with the pro-bike lobby to misrepresent the need for and effectiveness of the measure.

The hardtail 29er’s frame is said to weigh in at 2.4 pounds.

Built on their extremely well-performing VPP platform (we have a Blur XC carbon in our test stable and love it), the Blur TR is a half way point between their XC offerings and their longer travel AM/FR bikes, including the Blur LT with 140mm travel.

Today's Quote:

“Other values have appeared that are ten times over the higher value from so-called plasticizers [such as di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) – ed.], which are used in blood bags. These values were measured one day before the positive dope control. These blood bag softener values could indicate that autologous blood doping may have been performed.” - Hajo Seppelt VeloNation

It’s been a good start to the season for the French. Thomas Voeckler stands out but there have been plenty of wins from others, from Samuel Dumoulin and Jérémy Roy as well as strong performances from Yoann Offredo. Another name to add to the mix is Skil-Shimano’s Alexandre Geniez.

Levi Leipheimer is recovering from an old intestinal injury that took him out of the Volta a Catalunya and hopes to return to racing in time for the Vuelta al País Vasco in northern Spain next week.

While Goss, winner of Milan-San Remo earlier this month, failed to add any points this week, Scarponi’s second overall behind Alberto Contador in the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya was enough to lift him to second. BMC Racing’s Cadel Evans lies third.

Team states old problem flared up again

BMC team doctor Max Testa says Taylor Phinney’s early departure from the Volta a Catalunya last week doesn’t mean that he will not be able to start Paris-Roubaix next month. Phinney pulled out late in Wednesday’s mountain stage, complaining of knee pain.

Emma Pooley continues to astonish the cycling world with the panache of her victories, the latest coming this weekend with a 70-kilometre solo break in the Trofeo Alfredo Binda World Cup event.

After her superb performance in the Trofeo Alfredo Binda on Sunday, Emma Pooley (Garmin-Cervelo) looks set to start the women’s Tour of Flanders this coming weekend despite her dislike for the cobbles and hectic sprint finishes.

There are very few climbs in modern bike racing that can bring a bike racer to his knees.

Walking and running come naturally to us but pedalling isn’t a normal state of affairs.

BMC’s George Hincapie, married with two young kids and at the ripe old age of 37, wants to race another year. That might be smashing.

Towns at the end of current route want 15,000 signatures.

Velouria over at Lovely Bicycle sent me a note about a generous reader of her blog who is donating a brand new Bella Ciao Superba to a woman in need.

Clenbuterol traces, unusual delays and suggestions of plasticizers.

Two takes from the weekend’s racing: the Boonen-Cancellara duel and why the Critérium International needs reviewing.

McQuaid told The AP that the UCI’s appeal was necessary to avoid the perception of undue influence in the ongoing “caso Contador” after the Spanish federation reversed its initial decision of a one-year ban to completely clear the Spanish rider on clenbuterol charges in mid-February.

Contador clinched the win of the 100th anniversary of the race in Barcelona on Sunday, a victory that was overshadowed by the UCI’s decision on Thursday to appeal Contador’s clenbuterol case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Angelo Zomegnan, the director of the Giro d’Italia, has accepted that Alberto Contador can take part in this year’s race but he is not happy that the Spaniard will race sub-judice and could be stripped of victory if he is subsequently found guilty of doping by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

HTC-Highroad came into Gent-Wevelgem with an enviable record of three wins in four seasons but on Sunday their streak of success ended after bad luck and illness hit the team.

Crashing on a road bike sucks. There’s no two ways about it.

"Classy looking, quirky construction, quite quick and comfortable."

Boyacá is one of 32 departments that make up Colombia. For those of us who grew up in Bogota, the many small towns and cities of Boyacá have always been ideal destinations for weekend trips with friends and family.

Mavic sent over their Galibier road shoes and Razor mountain bike shoes for us to test out, and they are very, very nice.

For as long as I’ve been a cyclist, I’ve been gearing obsessed. Because speed is a function of gearing and cadence, and I liked speed, each of those numbers was as important to me as the number of miles I rode, at least at first.

Emma Pooley (Garmin-Cervelo) won the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, the first Women's World Cup race in Cittiglio, Varese, Italy, on Sunday.

Sunday's Gent-Wevelgem departs Deinze at 11:35 CET (5:35am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Wevelgem around 4:27pm CET (10:27am U.S. Eastern).  Ghent-Wevelgem live streaming video should begin from around 2:00pm CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern).

Dumoulin strieks again in final sprint.

Sunday's Volta a Catalunya Stage 7 departs Parets del Vallès at 11:00am CET (5:00am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Barcelona (Pla de Palau) at around 1:35pm CET (7:35am U.S. Eastern).

German beats Wiggins - Fränk Schleck holds on to overall win.

Sunday afternoon's Criterium International Stage 3 is a 7km Individual Time Trial at Porto-Vecchio.  It is scheduled to begin at 1:50pm CET (7:50am U.S. Eastern) but the actual start time may be modified slightly after the morning stage in order to better accomodate television coverage.  Criterium International live streaming video for Stage 3 should begin from around 3:20pm CET (9:20am U.S. Eastern) in some markets.

Skil-Shimano’s Simon Geschke scored his first win as a professional, outsprinting the field at the second stage of the Critérium International, a 75-kilometer circuit race in Porto Vecchio on the island of Corsica.

PodiumInsight: HTC-HighRoad Double Up At San Dimas.

Heather Logan-Sprenger (Colavita Forno D'Asolo) took a solo victory in stage two of the San Dimas Stage Race on Saturday. The Canadian enjoyed a small gap on teammate Theresa Cliff-Ryan, who won the field sprint for second, followed by Cristina Gokey-Smith (Rouse Bicycles) in third.

Coming into the final 30 kilometres of Gent-Wevelgem Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) was amongst the favourites for victory if the race ended in a sprint. However a crash on an innocuous stretch of Belgian tarmac, when another rider hit him from behind, destroyed his chances of taking the biggest win of his season so far.

Anna Meares of Australia capped a great week at the UCI Track World Championships in Apeldoorn, winning her third rainbow jersey with victory in the keirin to seal Australia’s dominance of the medal table.

Keep this page open to be instantly updated with the latest news, results, comments and photos from the trackside in Apeldoorn, Netherlands.

Sarah Hammer on Sunday became the first American woman to earn three medals in a single cycling world championship after finishing second in the women’s omnium at the UCI track world championships.

Big success for Vacansoleil neo-pro.

RadioShack leader felled by sickness.

The plan came together for the Colavita Forno d’Asolo team at stage 2 of the San Dimas Stage Race. Lap after lap, the squad attacked but were reeled in until finally, Heather Logan-Sprenger was able to get away to solo to victory.

Big time European racing was on tap this past weekend as three different races offered a complete view of the European peloton.

Between August 2010 and January 2011, there were 18 fatalities, 179 people seriously inujured and 982 people slightly injured on Oxfordshire’s roads. That compares with a figure of 12 killed and 160 seriously injured in the same period the year before.

Sound, comfy shoes with a stiff carbon sole, but a little heavy and lacking in breathability.

Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervelo) was left isolated in Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday.

There is Only one Man With A Prayer Of Beating Cancellara race. Generally and usually referred to my its traditional name, Gent Wevelgem.

"I know I give the politics of the sport plenty of attention here. For me it would be good if the sport could be run better, everyone stands to gain and taking a look at the issues is often interesting. But probably like you, I find it’s much better watching actual racing rather than following the politics."

"It's a lesson, but sadly the lesson is that you have to play everything negative and against Fabian, it's not a style that any of my guys like to do," said Garmin-Cervélo's general manager, Jonathan Vaughters. "Realistically, you almost have to race just against him, I don't like that racing style, but I don't know."

Today's Quote:

"Really disappointed to fall ill on the last day of Volta Catalunya. Believe me I'd race if I could, but I'm down for the count. Thank you to my Team RadioShack teammates for all their hard work, I'm sorry to let you down!" - Levi Leipheimer VeloNation

Gent–Wevelgem is characterised by twisty roads, cobbled sections, ripping crosswinds, cold rain and short sharp hills. All the essential ingredients of a Flanders Classic.

I’m slightly reluctant to cover this topic in case someone decides to go out and try this in a rush and ends up the wrong side of local traffic laws or worse, in hospital. So a word of caution first in that this is dangerous and I’m covering what the pros do rather than suggesting you try it for yourself.

George Hincapie (Team BMC) has confirmed that he will continue to race until the end of 2012. The 37-year-old American had been considered retiring at the end of this season with his contract set to expire. However after penning a one-year extension, the American will race next year’s Classics and possibly the Tour de France for a final time.

Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) will carry away a great many plaudits for his impressive show of aggression in the finale. The Slovak gave another firm indication of his Classics potential by animating the closing stages and almost defying the chasing group behind.

"Great looking and comfortable but could be stiffer."

"Barely there micro pump for the truly weight-obsessed."

Like many parts of the country, we’ve had some unusual weather this year.

The 2011 UCI Track Cycling World Championships have belonged to the nation of Australia, but no more so than on day four when the country took home three gold medals and one silver in the course of the afternoon.

It was another eventful day for Cancellara, with a flat and another mechanical in the middle stages of the race, but each obstacle was swept aside.

Race starts at 12:00pm CET  (7:00am U.S. Eastern).Race finish around 4:36pm CET (11:36am U.S. Eastern). LIVE video from 2:30pm CET  (9:30am U.S. Eastern).

Frank Schleck cemented Leopard-Trek's great day at the races, winning the opening stage of the 2011 Criterium International to match team-mate Fabian Cancellara's win at E3 Prijs in Belgium.

German said he had to attack far out on opening stage.

Saturday's Criterium International Stage 1 departs Porto-Vecchio at 11:00am CET (6:00am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Col de l'Ospedale around 4:40pm CET (11:40am U.S. Eastern).  Criterium International live streaming video should begin from around 3:40pm CET (10:40am U.S. Eastern) in some markets.

The Movistar rider was fastest in a bunch sprint that decided the stage, with Portugal's Manuel Cardoso in second. Contador retains lead with one stage remaining.

Delayed TV broadcast:  Stage 6 delayed TV coverage at 8:25pm CET today (3:25pm U.S. Eastern).  Expect 30 minutes of coverage.

Visconti takes the final stage to Sassuolo.

CyclingNews: Tour de Normandie Stage 6 - Bacquet wins for Big Mat.

Bideau remains in overall lead.

Driven by the will to provide some solace to earthquake-affected Japan, rider Shinichi Fukushima of the Japan national team put up a splendid display of determination and prowess to take Stage Five of the Tour de Taiwan 2011 – a 111.2km ride round the cultural city of Taichung.

Saturday's Coppi e Bartali Stage 5 departs Fiorano Modenese at 11:15am CET (6:15am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Sassuolo at around 3:35pm CET (10:35am U.S. Eastern).

The biggest positive news relates to some key driving personnel and financial support, long term, for the Quiznos race  but there’s also some negative news with the National Park Service decision on use of the Colorado National Monument for future editions.

American team suffers overnight blow in Italy.

“Any time you have to throw down a fifteen minute effort, it’s hard,” Neben said. “Plus it’s March and it felt like it! But I had a good ride and we as a team are happy with things, it’s great to have my first win with HTC.”

Today's Quote:

“ I have said to Pat McQuaid  many times that I don’t know any relation between a boss and an employee where the boss cannot give orders. If you pay someone, then you must be able to give them direction.” - Johan Bruyneel VeloNews

Britain's Victoria Pendleton has lost her sprint crown at the Track Cycling World Championships for the first time since she initially won it in 2007.

The latest is Fred Milson’s Complete Bike Maintenance, which has sold more than 800,000 copies. The new version has 185 pages of full color instructions for tuning, maintaining and replacing anything from hydraulic disc brakes to hub brakes, 2×10 to internal geared hubs, headsets, bottom brackets and more.

"High quality, high spec commuter/leisure bike for roads and tracks."

Civia Bryant.

Well made lightweight dynamo hub for your audax bike or posh commuter.

Fabian Cancellara’s onslaught in the finale of the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen - Harelbeke caused a lot of damage, and at the finish line in Harelbeke, Cyclingnews spoke with riders who witnessed Cancellara’s show of brute force firsthand.

“It’s very simple: the UCI is an international federation that has somewhat limited internal resources in the legal and anti-doping departments."

For the third year in a row, Ben Day set the fastest time at the 6 km (3.74 mi) Chaffey Auto Body Mountain Time Trial to grab the leader’s jersey after the first stage of the San Dimas Stage Race.

German scouted out decisive climb on eve of two-day race on Corsica.

Believes time gaps could be hard to overcome in time trial.

Welcome to the Hel van het Mergelland (Hell of the Marl) sportive, an event that takes place the day after the UCI pro tour 1.1-category race.

California residents Alan and Michael Barnard. Their mission is to promote cycling as their primary mode of transport, and to inspire others to make a similar commitment.

The British Pathe was established in 1902, and the organization produced bi-weekly newsreels and film programs for over 60 years, resulting in a film archive of 90,000 pieces and 3,500 hours.

it's official, Polygon bikes has signed another pro Downhiller with the aim of competing in local and international races. Their latest recruit is Tan Hong Chun (THC), Singapore's #1 DH rider (National Champion).

Garmin-Cervélo manager Jonathan Vaughters did his best to put a brave face on a disappointing day at the office for his charges at E3 Prijs Vlaanderen on Saturday, as Fabian Cancellara (Leopard Trek) triumphed in Harelbeke with an ominous show of strength.

The event is set for August 5-7 in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. The event has also added a women’s National Racing Calendar race. The men’s race will hold a UCI 2.2-level designation.

American Sarah Hammer launched a stunning fighback to defend her 3km pursuit title against New Zealand’s Alison Shanks at the world track cycling championships Friday.

If it’s a weekend in March or April, there’s racing to be watched–and that means it’s time for The Feed Zone! Join us Saturday (March 26) and Sunday (March 27) for our live chat during the showing of E3 Prijs and Ghent-Wevelgem.

When we last saw Samuel Dumoulin of Cofidis he was exhausted. He abandoned the Tour de France before stage 12, citing complete and utter physical breakdown. He couldn’t even pick up his baby.

Samuel Dumoulin (Cofidis) won stage five of the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya, besting Jose Joaquin Rojas (Movistar) and Ruben Perez Moreno (Euskaltel-Euskadi) in the field sprint finale.

Adriano Malori (Lampre-ISD) around the short time course on stage 4 of the Settimana e Bartali to take his first win as a professional. The Italian finished 8 seconds clear of Luca Ascani (D’Angelo & Antenucci Nippo) in Crevalcore, while Rory Sutherland (Unitedhealthcare) was a second further back in third.

Friday's Volta a Catalunya Stage 5 departs El Vendrell at 10:50am CET (5:50am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Tarragona at around 3:58pm CET (10:58am U.S. Eastern).

Friday's Coppi e Bartali Stage 4 is a 14.3km Individual Time Trial in the streets of Crevalcore.  The first rider will depart at 1pm CET (8am U.S. Eastern).

Friday, March 25: Cycling Weekly will be covering the 2011 UCI Track Cycling World Championships (March 23-27) with live text updates throughout the event.

If you look at the position riders use now compared to 25 years ago, it is extremely different. I believe position is over rated. Not for power output, but for injuries.

Have a Rocky Mountain cyclocross Solo CX, Solo CXD, Solo CXR or Metropolis SEA bike from 2010 or earlier? Know someone who might? See the official USCPSC recall below and spread the word (Twitter, Facebook, Email) about this serious recall. Don’t let your cyclocross brother or sister get hurt.

How to shed those last, stubborn five pounds--without hindering performance.

You'll bike faster if you keep your melon from overheating.

"I’m wearing a mask which wouldn’t look out of place on the face of a fighter pilot. Puddles of sweat are forming on the floor around me, even though I’ve only been exercising for a few minutes. And if this doesn’t stop soon, I’m pretty sure I’m going to throw up. Welcome to the wonderful world of the ramp test."

US Criterium Champion Daniel Holloway of the Kelly Benefit Stategies-OptumHealth, crashed hard on stage 1 of  the 6-stage Jelajah Malaysia; at full speed, he went head first into a concrete trench. Broken ribs and a lung contusion.

Says it’s possible to have a decision before Tour de France start.

Wins for Rabobank and Team Sky at the late-February Belgian semi-classics Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne may have served as proverbial shots across the bow in the fight for spring-time supremacy, but by taking the win at Dwars door Vlaanderen on Wednesday, Saxo Bank-Sungard showed itself to be ready to challenge its top rivals in the three-week campaign across western Belgium and northern France, that are collectively referred to as the cobbled classics.

The schedule was reconfigured so that Gent-Wevelgem moved into the Sunday before De Ronde, staking a claim to... not quite monument status, more like "I can't believe it's not a monument!" status.

“Little Ronde van Vlaanderen” cannot compete with the WorldTour event on the same weekend.

Today's Quote:

“ I have said to Pat McQuaid  many times that I don’t know any relation between a boss and an employee where the boss cannot give orders. If you pay someone, then you must be able to give them direction.” - Johan Bruyneel VeloNews

You might not believe this, but it doesn’t always rain on race day in Flanders.

Tom Boonen, Filippo Pozzato, as well as the entire BMC and Sky teams have opted-out of this year’s edition, causing many to wonder just how long this terrific event can maintain its prestige.

The Criterium International is a three-stage, two-day race offering stage racers and all-rounder’s a chance to score nice mid-sized win all in one weekend. Saturday’s Stage 1 is a hilly affair with a summit finish atop the l’Ospedale that will pit the day’s breakaway against teams looking to launch patient climbers. Stages 2 and 3—a short sprint stage and a 7-kilometer ITT—should only tweak the GC at best.

It's Gent - Wevelgem 1974, you've made it over the savage Kemmel climb twice with the lead group and survived hanging on the back of an Eddy Merckx [Belgium & Molteni] and Roger De Vlaeminck [Belgium & Brooklyn] driven purge on the run-in; there are 17 guys left, so maybe you would settle for a top ten? Not if your name is Barry Hoban [Britain & GAN] and you feel that the 'over-drive' is in your legs.

"I love it when it is a dicey road and you have to make on the road decisions. It’s too bad that that E3-prijs Vlaanderen and Gent-Wevelgem overlap this weekend. We won’t get to see the normal build up to Flanders and Roubaix."

So is anything happening in the world of Pro Cyclocross? You better believe it.

You’ve started your training regime and paid the entry fee for that big event, now it’s time to step up the momentum, says coach Chris Ford, of CycleActive.

When I became interested in the bicycles of the French constructeurs many years ago, the little information that was available came from Japan.

Imports of mountain bikes in January were 51 percent higher than last year, and road bike imports are up 66 percent, according to Department of Commerce reports. Overall suppliers brought in 980,352 bikes, or 37,760 more than a year ago.

French sports daily L’Equipe has today reported that suggestions of blood doping, based on the detection of plasticizers in his test sample, may form a central part of the UCI’s case against Alberto Contador.

"It's a complex case and I learnt that (the UCI) had internal discussions," he said in the interview, released on the paper's website Friday. "If they had noticed errors in the dossier, they would have appealed immediately."

UCI president Pat McQuaid has explained that the political pressure exerted on the Spanish Cycling Federation during its deliberations on the Alberto Contador Clenbuterol case compelled the UCI to appeal the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in order to ensure a fair and credible outcome.

Sacre freakin’ bleu, Tour de France boss Christian Prudhomme wants a verdict on Alberto Contador before his Grand Boucle. He’s frustrated, disgusted and annoyed and worse, he already knows he’s screwed.

It appears you may as well try to oust the Pope as try to get the UCI’s president Pat McQuaid removed from office.

One of offshoots of the radio debate has been an idea that riders are now radio controlled, mere chess pieces to be manipulated by their manager. Indeed part of the desire from those wanting to scrap radios is to make the sport more reliant on individuals, to diminish the role of the team.

A year ago, I was as against race radios in the pro peloton as a French television executive.

Of course, cyclists who don't need the sag support of an organized bike ride can follow the race maps supplied online. Just log into the Amgen Tour of California website and click on "Stages" under the "Routes" tab.

The 2011 women’s road World Cup kicks off Sunday with the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, held near Cittiglio, Italy. The 121-kilometer race is held on four laps of a hilly circuit.

"Are you kidding me? Another one? Yes. One would think it would be hard to carve out a place for yourself in a team as loaded as HTC but just like the men's team they are actually surprisingly good at making room and results for everyone."

Houvenaghel - like many of the British Olympians - manages to combine track and road riding but specialises in the former.

The Hong Kong cyclist showed true class as he took the win ahead of some of the best riders in the world, including top ranked Aussie Cameron Meyer.

"Fabulous looking, superb wheelset for racers."

"Blisteringly fast full-suspension 29er with effective terrain-sensing auto-lockout and brilliant spec."

Britain won the women's team pursuit gold medal after dominating the United States in the final at the world track cycling championships overnight.

Quick-Step Cycling Team will be lining up this weekend at the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen and Gent-Wevelgem, with two squads ready to rumble. Tom Boonen will be participating in the Gent-Wevelgem.

Britain will meet world record holders the United States in the final later on Thursday, while defending champions Australia will challenge New Zealand for the bronze medal.

Contador remains in leader's jersey - Leipheimer in second at 23 seconds.

Emanuele Sella (Androni Giocattoli) has won the third stage of the Coppi e Bartali race through the central Apennines hills, thereby keeping the race lead for his Italian team.

Luke Rowe moved into the lead of the seven-day Tour of Normandy yesterday afternoon, after finishing third after stage three yesterday morning.

The second national cross-country race of the season kicks off this weekend in Fontana, California.

Thursday's Volta a Catalunya Stage 4 departs La Seu d'Urgell at 12:00pm CET (7:00am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in El Vendrell at around 4:25pm CET (11:25am U.S. Eastern).

Thursday's Coppi e Bartali Stage 3 departs Casalecchio di Reno at 11:30am CET (6:30am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Gaggio Montano at around 3:44pm (10:44am U.S. Eastern).

The season build-up may be slow and deliberate during March, but this weekend we finally reach the opening round of the World Cup, and one of the best races of the year, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda held in Cittiglio in the province of Varese.

Welcome back, Nick! With a fantastic win in yesterday’s Dwars door Vlaanderen, Saxo Bank’s Nick Nuyens resurrected a career—and a classics team—that many felt had been left for dead.

The size of the press corps at the Volta a Catalunya swelled on Thursday on news that the UCI would appeal the ongoing “caso Contador” to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Journalists from Spain’s top dailies and TV stations parachuted into El Vendrell to document the reaction from Alberto Contador.

Bjarne Riis hopes for a quick ruling in the International Cycling Union's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport of the dismissal of doping charges against Alberto Contador. The Saxo Bank-SunGard team owner said that he would continue to support the Spanish rider.

One of my favorite tricks I still use without fail, is to dial a brake’s barrel adjuster half way up its threads before running the cable through.

Today's Quote:

“ I have said to Pat McQuaid  many times that I don’t know any relation between a boss and an employee where the boss cannot give orders. If you pay someone, then you must be able to give them direction.” - Johan Bruyneel VeloNews

World Anti Doping Agency confirms decision will be made within three weeks.

Spanish rider facing major battle over coming months.

The comedy part of the announcement was the reference to the Spanish Federation. “We have the greatest respect for the proceedings, and that’s why we have accepted that Contador can still ride.”

The International Cycling Union (UCI) will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) the dismissal of doping charges against Tour de France winner Alberto Contador. The UCI said that its appeal was based on "an in-depth study of the file received from" the Spanish cycling federation.>

“What concerns us is that there should be a line drawn under this affair and a definitive decision taken,” said Prudhomme after the UCI decided to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the Spanish Cycling Federation’s finding that the rider did not deliberately take a banned substance.

Several teams abstain from aligning with rival league.

Robbie Ventura, Vision Quest owner and CycleOps Director of Training talks about how to adjust your training when you need to miss workouts. Whether it be for unplanned business travel, sickness, injury, or other commitments, Robbie outlines what to do depending on how many training days you miss.

The Giro, aka, the grand tour with the sexiest girls, revealed this year’s “madrina” for the event.

The limiting factor is not staff, it’s vehicles. Usually a team will only have four or five vehicles suitable for following a rider in a time trial (note that normal UCI caravan rules for vehicle height don’t apply to individual time trials, so a small van can be used).

It has been an excellent start to the 2011 procycling season, with both veterans and new comers alike finding big results early on.

The Garmin-Cervelo rider has struggled to recover from a double bout of illness since the start of the year. "I've been sick twice since January and, being realistic, there's no point in going," Millar said to Cycling Weekly.

Cadel Evans admitted he has some hard training to do before the Tour de France as controversial rival Alberto Contador took control of the Tour of Catalonia.

San Diego, California transportation planners have proposed spending US$2.58 billion to build bicycle paths and improve streets for pedestrians throughout San Diego County.

En 2010, Paul Kimmage a interviewé Floyd Landis, quelques jours avant la fête de Thanksgiving [jeudi 25 novembre 2010 (NdT)].

The key to getting momentum behind a new professional cycling league would be the Tour de France (owned and operated by the ASO). If the ASO decided to go with this new league it has the potential to create a domino effect where other organising committees follow.

"Alberto does not use performance enhancing drugs and that is the end of the matter. He is not prepared to let his reputation and career to be destroyed like this. The UCI should not have appealed the Spanish federation’s decision – the compelling facts and science make it clear that “not appealing” is the only reasonable and just decision."

The appeal is a good thing. Whether you are a Contador fan or not, the RFEC ruling looked weak. It did not explain enough and seemed arbitrary.

Many cycling fans love the sport but not the politics and certainly the mention of UCI President Pat McQuaid can quickly elicit boos and hisses from many.

Johan Bruyneel is mad as hell and he’s not going to take it anymore.

Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervélo) was the quickest in the sprint at the end of Dwars Door Vlaanderen but the American had to be content with third place as the late escapees Geraint Thomas (Sky) and eventual winner Nick Nuyens (Saxo Bank-SunGard) stayed a whisker clear at the finish.

“The Kemmelberg is a savage little climb made harder by the up and down effect of the hills before it, by the deadly Flemish roads and by the speed of the race. I loved it.” – Barry Hoban, winner of the 1974 Ghent-Wevelgem.

Rolling up to races in custom painted cars, decked out in stylish kit and riding shiny top of the range bicycles – you’d be forgiven if you thought the girls on the Honda Dream Team got treated like rock stars.

Before Team Sky, David Millar, Chris Boardman, and Graeme Obree, back in the 1980's, there was a talent in the British cycling who looked like he was headed for the very top. His name was Darryl Webster.

Very tasty and healthy source of protein - ideal for post-ride recovery, and good for snacks too.

"Good pair of cycling shoes suited to riders with broad feet."

"Slightly firmer ride than expected, but a classy steel steed for mile-eaters."

In the United States, it would be fair to assume that someone with knowledge about cycling, and about the construction of road bikes would perhaps ride or own one. Not so in Colombia.

Something that Saxo Banks’s Nick Nuyens has that Matti Breschel doesn’t: two good knees.

Australia produced a team pursuit master class to beat Russia and defend their crown here at the 2011 world track cycling championships Wednesday.

The 2011 professional cycling season opens this weekend with the San Dimas Stage Race, and Jelly Belly p/b Kenda will be at the starting line.

Dwars Door Vlaanderen: start line picture gallery.

Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank Sungard) stamped his authority on the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya as he crossed the finish line alone atop the hors catégorie Coll De Pal summit finish to win stage three and take over the general classification lead.

Ferrari moves into lead.

In the mountains that Lucho Herrera, Pablo Wilches and Fabio Parra were able to win and to liven up any summit finish.

Wednesday's Volta a Catalunya Stage 3 departs La Vall d'En Bas/Sant Esteve d'En Bas at 11:15am CET (6:15am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at Andorra/Vallnord at around 4:21pm CET (11:21am U.S. Eastern).

Stage 2 departs Rovigo at 11:30am CET (6:30am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Rovigo at around 4:13pm (11:13am U.S. Eastern).

Race starts at 11:40am CET (6:40am U.S. Eastern).Race finish around 4:39pm CET (11:39am U.S. Eastern). LIVE video from 2:30pm CET (9:30am U.S. Eastern).

Two favorites laid low after tough Milano-Sanremo.

Chris White and his V Australia team is set to return to a full competitive schedule of racing that will see them race across three continents in 2011.

Sohrabi has underlined his raw strength as a brilliant all-round rider, yet again beating David McCann in a two-up sprint finish; mirroring that of a finish at the Jelajah Malysia stage which he also took the overall title.

Sunday's recently crowned, full-on classic, Gent-Wevelgem, will instead of continuing the wave that started with the Tour of Flanders: begin it. The Classics season starts in earnest this weekend with the E3 Prijs Harelbeke and Gent-Wevelgem.

“There is nothing wrong with the world except for people misbehaving.”

The 695 SR features several innovations that are aimed at creating a more integrated bike – ZED2 cranks, C-Stem, E-Post, Head Fit3 – all of which I appreciated when I took it out of the box as they make the bike easier to set up.

Until Google’s self-driving cars become a reality, this is seriously one of the coolest meldings of technology we’ve seen in a bit. Originally announced at CES earlier this year, Apple has finally approved the app and hardware to use your iPhone and iPod Touch as a live viewfinder for Contour’s HD GPS action sports camera.

Ride Studio Cafe is, in essence, exactly what it sounds like, a high end bike/coffee shop. Studios are always high end.

The season has already seen some great racing at. But there’s still plenty of Spring racing left – and with that racing, comes a whole new cast of racers to keep an eye on.

In a long interview with Belgian newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws, the RadioShack team manager refuted McQuaid’s claims that he is actively working to create a breakaway league, but threatened it could happen.

The project of a breakaway league in pro cycling, possibly led by 11 teams, as Cyclingnews revealed on Monday, is the latest round in the seemingly never-ending power struggle. The best way to understand the dispute between the teams, organisers and the UCI is study the previous battle between 2004 and 2008.

Still hopes to ride Paris-Roubaix.

USA Cycling, the sport’s governing body in the United States, has backed down on plans to allow two-way radios to be used in all races falling under its remit in the face of opposition from the UCI, which insists they must be banned in National Racing Calendar events in the USA, as well as in the country’s National Championships.

Italian actress Cristiana Capotondi helped to unveil this year's Giro d'Italia classification leaders' jerseys at a launch event at the Martini Bar in Milan on Tuesday night.

Damn that Steve Bauer.  It all started with him.  The history of modern Canadian cycling is inexorably tied to Steve. Not to diminish the international accomplishments of previous generations of crazy Canucks (I’m looking at you, Joclyn Lovell), but Los Angeles ’84 is where it all began.

Italian wants to resume racing at 39 years of age.

France has been enjoying a small resurgence in the last couple of seasons, and since the start of the year, have won more major international races than any other country.

Apparently Mr Colnago recently found this model whilst doing the spring cleaning :-). Its called,  'Carbon Volvo' which was specifically made for an individual rider who even request a saddle which could swivel whilst he was riding.

Briefed on tactics and expectations, tanks topped off with espresso and carbs, legs oiled and heads helmeted, we find our bikes, pristine, and equipped with bottles where the mechanics lined them up.

One of South Africa's favorites to take top honours at this year's Absa Cape Epic, Kevin Evans will again be partnering with David George as Team 360LIFE.

Launched in 2009 with the San Diego Gran Fondo, Gran Fondo USA will offer four events in 2011. The new season kicks off in San Diego, California on 10 April and finishes seven months later on 20 November in Miami, Florida.

The veteran Italian is the riders’ representative to the advisory board on the UCI management committee that ultimately makes all the important calls on how the top-end professional level of the sport is run, organized and managed.

"With the threat of rider protests at the Critérium International, the Coppi e Bartali and the GP E3 apparently still on the table it's time for me to add to the compost heap of bullshit that's been built up by all sides of the race radio debate over the last couple of months."

Armstrong enlists the guidance of Alberto Salazar to help him run a 2:50-2:55 marathon in an Ironman.

Today's Quote:

“ I have said to Pat McQuaid  many times that I don’t know any relation between a boss and an employee where the boss cannot give orders. If you pay someone, then you must be able to give them direction.” - Johan Bruyneel VeloNews

There’s an impressive diversity of silverware and commemorative trophies awarded to the winners of bike races. Cadel Evans  picked up what looks to be the largest item of the year. It’s a trident, the symbol of greco-roman sea gods and awarded to the winner of Tirren0-Adriatico, the “race of two seas”.

The HTC-Highroad sprinter was singled out for the award, previous recipients of which include Sir Winston Churchill, Norman Wisdom and the Bee Gees, after claiming his first four Tour de France sprint wins in the 2008 edition of that race.

It is said that when the snow melts away and daylight lengthens, the thoughts of many turn towards romance. But for more than a few, it means the joyful return of the great one-day bicycle races and yet, as the recently-released VeloPress book “The Spring Classics,” suggests, the two things are not mutually exclusive.

Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) finally won his first race of the season at the Volta Ciclista a Catalunya and is convinced he has shaken off the bad luck and illness that that have wrecked his early season.

The U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protections recently reclassified cassette style multiple free-wheel sprockets to the residual bike parts category, which carries a 10 percent duty. The cassettes had previously been duty free. Freewheel hub bodies do not carry any duties.

The League of American Bicyclists recently awarded 20 bike-friendly designations to colleges and universities across the US. Stanford University leads the group as the only school to receive the League's highest 'platinum' award.

Gatis Smukulis slipped back into the peloton in Wednesday’s big climbing stage at the Volta a Catalunya, but a big stage win and two days in the leader’s jersey put the relatively unknown Latvian firmly in the spotlight.

Contador and Nuyens bring in two wins for Danish team.

"A straightforward seat that blends decent weight with long-haul comfort."

Christoph Sauser, a former cross country world champion and will team up with newly crowned South African marathon champion Burry Stander on team Songo.info for the fourth time at the Absa Cape Epic from March 27 to April 3.

Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre) returned to his winning ways by taking the mass sprint at the second stage of the Volta a Catalunya. He outsprinted Joaquín Rojas (Movistar) and Manuel Cardoso (RadioShack). Gatis Smukulis (HTC-Highroad) held on to the overall lead.

Sella is new race leader.

Tuesday's Volta a Catalunya Stage 2 departs Santa Coloma de Farners at 12:40pm CET (7:40am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Banyoles around 4:30pm CET (11:30am U.S. Eastern).  There is no live video but there will be delayed broadcasts.

Stage 1b starts at 3:00pm CET  (10:00am U.S. Eastern).

Manuel Belletti (Colnago-CSF Inox) took his second victory of the season on the opening morning of the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali.

Menchov hit by a car and the flu last week, while Sastre struggling through a cold.

If you’re watching the classics this year and see the race get blown apart by a crosswind, you are likely to find plenty of Dutchmen in the front group.

A full contingent of top U.S. teams converge this weekend.

Today's Quote:

“There is a risk of a breakaway from the UCI, of course there is. But it's early to talk about it and RCS Sport is obliged to stay on the side of the sport that has been created by the national and international federations.” - Angelo Zomegnan CyclingNews

Academy riders Luke Rowe and Mark Christian placed second and third in the Tour of Normandy prologue around Mondeville on Monday afternoon. The pair were beaten by Swede Tobias Ludvigsson, who was half a second quicker than Rowe over the 4.8km course.

Know your young cyclists? You've heard that Taylor Phinney is about to revive American Classics racing? That John Degenkolb will put Germany back on the map? Meet one of the guys they've been dueling with... and even losing to: Rabobank's Jetse Bol.

Team Sky’s Geraint Thomas has been reflecting on his first participation in Milan-San Remo at the weekend, a race that showed that even the most meticulous plans can go awry due to racing incidents on the road as a series of crashes two thirds of the way through the 298km race split the field and paved the way for Matt Goss’s victory.

Nancy Sathre-Vogel announced by Twitter  on Monday that her "family on bikes" had successfully completed a self-supported bicycle tour the entire length of North and South America -- a distance of some 17,290 miles.

"Traditional looks, but a lightweight, performance perch."

According to James Herrera, M.S.,you can gauge your abilities--and your improvements--as the season progresses by performing a periodic 10-minute "field test."

One of the more eye catching was the Cervélo S3 of Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervélo), newly decorated in recognition of his win at the World Road Race Championships in Australia last year.

Deal will bring Tour de France and other events to households across EU.

Yesterday we analysed Jonathan Vaughters’s 10-point plan  to reinvigorate cycling. Today we are suggesting 11 things the teams could do to improve their lot and fight for a better deal for everyone who has an interest in pro road racing.

It’s coming down to the wire on whether or not the UCI will decide to appeal the Spanish federation’s decision to clear Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-Sungard) on doping charges in his long-running clenbuterol case.

UCI president Pat McQuaid has said that cycling’s governing body is still deliberating on whether it will appeal the Spanish federation’s decision not to sanction Alberto Contador after he tested positive for Clenbuterol at last year’s Tour de France. The UCI will make an announcement on the matter in the coming days.

Speaking to Cyclingnews on the eve of the centenary edition of the Catalan race, Contador admitted that his form and his confidence in his Saxo Bank-SunGard team are growing rapidly.

The Danish Olympic committee has ruled that cyclist  Philip Nielsen  will not be sanctioned for his positive doping control last year for Clenbuterol. The Doping Board found that the substance came from contaminated food and that Nielsen was not negligent or at fault.

The 2011 UCI Track Cycling World Championships takes place in Apeldoorn, Netherlands, from Wednesday March 23 to Sunday March 27.

Ed Clancy has been the one constant in Great Britain's continually evolving team pursuit quartet. The 25-year-old has watched with interest as the young Australian team has continued to close the gap in the past year.

Andrea Guardini (Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli) lines up at the Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali on Tuesday after being rested for Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-San Remo.

"Near S-Works performance at a friendlier price."

Milk Bikes, an Essex-based bike brand, has recently launched its first bike specifically designed with low-maintenance commuting in mind.

The hairy creature affectionately named “Slyfox” is one of the biggest supporters of Utah cyclocross, especially if you’re measuring by dollar hand-ups.

Saris Cycling Group has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Giant Bicycle. Saris alleges in court documents that its “’607 Patent” entitled Variable Magnet Resistance Unit for an Exercise Device was infringed upon by “Giant’s competing Cyclotron bicycle trainer, among possibly other products with the same features.

Tifosi Optics is the bestselling sunglass brand nationwide among bike specialty retailers and run specialty retailers, according to Leisure Trends Group RetailTRAK™ point-of-sale (POS) retail sales tracking.

Tomorrow’s going to be a big day for this blog and me — at 5:30PM (ET) / 2:30PM (PT) I’ll be moderating a live Q&A chat with Johan Bruyneel.

UCI president Pat McQuaid cried foul over USA Cycling’s recent decision to allow race radios in its sanctioned events this season and said the federation has been “hijacked” by special interests.

Suggestions that UCI-registered riders and teams would have been blocked at events.

Pat McQuiad, president of the UCI, accuses USA Cycling of being “hijacked” by the big teams.

And this radio thing and power struggle for control of professional cycling and all its potential money.

UCI President on radio debate, voting rights, sporting structure.

Last week several media outlets carried an open letter that UCI President Pat McQuaid wrote to the union of professional cyclists, the AIGCP. Published on the UCI’s site as well as VeloNews, McQuaid explained the problems with riders’ desire to use radios and how the riders’ voices have been heard.

UCI president Pat McQuaid is acting unilaterally in forcing through the  race radio ban in spite of opposition not only from within the peloton but also his own organisation, HTC-Highroad Sport Director Rolf Aldag said. He accused McQuaid of unfairly exercising his power and acting like the “king of the castle”.

Martijn Maaskant (Garmin-Cervelo) faces several weeks on the sidelines after crashing out of Paris-Nice earlier this month.

The white-clad Raleigh team shoots towards the Majorcan town of Santa Maria del Cami, tight in formation. Two groups from Leopard-Trek fly by in the opposite direction, followed by a couple of Sky riders. Raleigh is back - and that's the road they want to be heading down again.

After seven successful years with Kona, Ryan Trebon along with friend, mechanic and road manager Dusty Labarr have struck out on their own.

A fantastic Canadian/Mongolian partnership has been announced with the (Vancouver, BC) BC Bike Race announcing a new partnership with Progetto Avventura Events, the organizers of the Mongolia Bike Challenge!

Dan McLay: A young lad with the World in front of him...Belgium calls! Dan is already a World champion; he has experience on the track, cyclo-cross and the road at the highest junior level, now it’s time for him to crack the big time.

It's a great week to be a rider called Trott.  19-year-old Laura Trott is riding for Great Britain at the Track World Championships, and her big sister, Emma, will be in final preparation mode for riding the Ronde van Vlaanderen with a team that will be all over the podiums in 2011.

What’s in the inhaler. Alessandro Petacchi, the man with the broncial asthma problems, managed to out kick and out breathe his rivals in the sprint to Banyoles.

Lampre-ISD's Damiano Cunego will miss the Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali due to illness, starting tomorrow in Italy, the event he won in 2006 and 2009.

Rhe first stage of the Tour of Catalonia, a 166.9-kilometer (103.5-mile) ride that started and ended in Lloret de Mar on Monday.

Today's Quote:

“There is a risk of a breakaway from the UCI, of course there is. But it's early to talk about it and RCS Sport is obliged to stay on the side of the sport that has been created by the national and international federations.” - Angelo Zomegnan CyclingNews

Iranian bests defending Tour de Taiwan champion McCann on uphill finish.

Seventh in Milan-Sanremo, Yoann Offredo  is looking like the real deal for a French classics rider. It wasn’t a fluke, you simply can’t appear at the front of the race on the Poggio by accident.

Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) continued his fine early-season form with victory at Cholet-Pays de Loire on Sunday.

CyclingFans: 2011 Volta a Catalunya LIVE - Stage 1.

Monday's Volta a Catalunya Stage 1 departs Lloret de Mar at 1:30pm CET (8:30am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Lloret de Mar around 5:40pm CET (12:40pm U.S. Eastern).

This highly visible photo of me racing in the '76 Montreal Olympics.

Heinrich Haussler has admitted that he missed the decisive attack of Saturday's Milan-San Remo race, but was hopeful for the upcoming Northern Classics starting this week with Dwars Door Vlaanderen in Belgium.

With less than 500 days to go before the 2012 London Games begin, Team GB would have been encouraged by their performance at the recent Manchester World Cup meeting as well as last year's championships where they won three golds and finished second in the medal table.

Though there’s something distasteful about the outcome of a race being affected heavily by crashes, those that caused the splitting of the peloton into two groups before La Manie created an exciting and richly tactical race as teams were forced to assess their positions in front and behind.

The four leaders have fifteen minutes on the bunch which is still rolling fast. All the big teams are working, therefore the four guys ahead have a very little chance to succeed.

While we have a variety of events happening over the next three weeks, they're all hopelessly intertwined.

Fabian Cancellara  is obsessed with winning the Worlds road title this September in Copenhagen. The Swiss rider has won the time trial title four times, but is considering not riding that race this year in order to concentrate on the road title.

Team YetiBeti's second annual Beti Bike Bash, a mountain bike race for women, set for Sunday, June 12, 2011, at Bear Creek Lake Park in the Foothills west of Denver, Colorado, has added more activities to its schedule.

The suit was filed against Bryton Inc. in U.s. District Court in Kansas City, Kan. Garmin accused Bryton of "mimicking the appearance and functionality" of the Olathe-based company's Edge cycle computer.

"An excellent, easily repairable all-round aero wheelset"

A 19-year-old California cyclist who was killed by a motorist texting on her cell phone is being honored this spring by his father.

According to Cyclingnews, eleven major teams are considering the creation of new, more commercially driven and innovatively managed structure to run men’s professional cycling. The men behind the plan: Vaughters and the always visionary head of RCS Sports, Zomegnan.

International Cycling Union president Pat McQuaid  accused several team managers of plotting to breakaway from the UCI and set-up an alternative ProTour in his open letter to riders on Friday.

The whole point of a bike fit is to make you sit more comfortably (which will let you ride for longer) and to help you ride more efficiently. The transmission between the motor and the bike if you will.

The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team is in Italy this week preparing for the Settimana di Coppi e Bartali, March 22 – 26. The event will be the team’s sixth race of the year and first since the Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia. The race features six stages over five days.

Yes, we bought a bike brand. Why? There are lots of reasons. But like much in the history of Competitive Cyclist, many of them are rooted in emotion rather than rigorous strategic planning.

Surely the excitement factor is something beyond the UCI’s reach, short of banning sprint stages? Even Tour de France organisers ASO will struggle because the race has to tour the country, even if it relies on the Alps and Pyrenees.

The 24-year-old Tasmanian has been perhaps the form rider of the 2011 season to date, winning a stage of Paris-Nice earlier this week following a strong performance in the Tour Down Under in January.

Antioxidants seem to be everywhere these days. They're the ‘in’ thing in nutrition and if you believe the hype they can cure every disease, help you go faster and even live forever.

Crashes before and after the Manie climb wrecked the chances of several Milan-San Remo favourites, including three-time winner Oscar Freire. The Spaniard hit the ground hard in the descent of the climb. He finished the race in the main peloton but was 5:23 behind winner Matt Goss (HTC-Highroad).

CyclingNewsAsia: Philippines - 2nd FCAAF Springfest Civic Volvo Cycle Challenge 2011.

The course was a tough 2km stretch end to end, with riders having to negotiate sharp U-turns at both ends. Part of the historical Roxas Boulevard along Manila bay, this area is famous for landmarks including the Cultural Center of the Philippines and the well known Luneta Park. The whole route was closed to traffic giving the racers the opportunity to focus on their tactics, and surviving the race.

Why should ladies have all the fun? This glove combines the popular appeal of the thong, with the comfort of a riding glove, and the Italian craftsmanship needed to make a Pinarello frame in Taiwan.

Walking into the Colnago building, you pass by their impressive world-wide export department. This is a massive area dedicated to frame shipment, frame crash testing, parts and bicycle construction.

Moots is now offering a Shimano Di2 internal wiring option on all of their frames for $350. It’s not a retrofittable option, so you’ll have to order a new Moots (bummer, we know).

Endurance cyclist Jay Petervary blew up the recent Iditarod Trail Invitational by breaking the previous 22-day record by completing the race in 17 days, six hours.

Leopard Trek team to put its weight behind German rider.

Adam Little was tragically hit and killed by a motorist while out training on March 17, 2010.

GreenEDGE Cycling's attempts to become Australia's first UCI ProTeam took another step with the organsiation announcing an equipment partnership with Scott Sports.

"You are probably getting rightly bored by the race radio debate. After all Milan-Sanremo was so exciting that it rightly put politics, protest and scandal in the shade. And by now you probably know by now that the radio is being used as a Trojan Horse where protesting teams are trying to push back the UCI in order to have more say over the sport. But bear with me…"

German rider to fight charges.

"If you look at cycling's demographic it should be infinitely more successful than it is," the American told BBC Sport. “It should be on the level of Premier Football. The Tour de France is maybe the world's greatest sporting event."

It was with grit, great class and perfect timing that Matt Goss won Milan-San Remo on Saturday. He wasn’t meant to win though.

CyclingWeekly: Garmin's Vaughters looks ahead after San Remo flop.

The Dwars door Vlaanderen, E3 Prijs and Ghent-Wevelgem one-day races this week will help wash away the disappointment of San Remo. Crashes along the Italian Riviera prevented World Champion Thor Hushovd and sprint ace Tyler Farrar - and many others, including Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) - from joining the winning move.

Choosing the right parents is the first step to becoming a pro.

Anglo-Italian ex-pro Max Sciandri has warned that Italy needs to stop living on its past glories if it is to avoid being eclipsed by the rising power of cyclists from English-speaking countries and the United States, Australia and Great Britain in particular.

Call it the Goss After-Effect. HTC-Highroad is on a definite high the last few days. Matthew Goss is the only sprinter to make the elite group of eight riders that blasted into San Remo, taking his first classics win.

At the beginning of 2010, Kyle Wamsley stated that after his successes in crit racing, he was now going for results in stage races.

The major crowd pleaser was in Group A. Wang Lei (Team Triace), took the crown in 1:06:39. Runner-up and third place were taken by Simon Grimmer and Ed Cork respectively. In Group B, Yan Jianfei, a college student who has only been cycling for just over two years won the 'cross, followed by Yin Dongwei and Xu Liang. After 40 minutes of fierce competition, all of the riders were suitably covered with mud.

“I'm thrilled to be with Felt this year, and can’t wait for the race season to begin,” said Trebon.  “I'm already working with Felt’s engineers to fine-tune my bikes for 2011, and we're all excited about the results.”

I have concluded that I really need a 650B randonneur bike of my own! (The 1948 René Herse in the drawing above would suit me fine, if we can update it with modern lights.)

 In the modern era of mass production there are few bike parts that can wear the label “hand made.” FMB tubulars can.

The Tour of the Moon will not rise again, at least not in the Quiznos Pro Challenge. The U.S. Parks Service on Monday denied a request to hold a stage in the Colorado National Monument, near Grand Junction.

Thomas Voeckler (Europcar) has won the second leg of the French Cup, the 24th GP Cholet-Pays de Loire, less than 50 kilometres away from his home in Vendée.

TwistedSpoke: North American teams in Milan San Remo. A follow up.

Cadel is still asset number one but this year BMC looks like a confident, aggressive squad. Van Avermaet animated the race up front, then Ballan made several strong moves and was in the mix until the end, finishing just off the podium in fourth.

Alberto Contador (Saxo Bank-SunGard) continues his Giro d’Italia preparation with the seven-day Volta a Catalunya, which gets under way in Lloret del Mar on Monday.

Sung Baek Park (Korea) celebrates his victory.

The women’s racing season may build up a bit more slowly than the men’s but we’re slowly getting there.

Yoann Offredo (FDJ) was one of the main animators of Saturday’s Milan-San Remo, and although he was frustrated to finish in 7th place, the young Frenchman had no regrets about the aggressive tactics that he employed.

Jelly Belly p/b Kenda rider Will Dickeson took first place in the individual time trial at the Oceania Championships in Shepparton, Victoria, Australia. Dickeson blew away the field Thursday, posting a time 2:15 faster than the second-place finisher.

Mark Cavendish's chance of winning Milan-San Remo on Saturday for a second time ended with crashes and vomiting. The Brit was thrilled, though, that his HTC-Highroad team-mate Matt Goss picked up the pieces.

'I feel cursed'

New 2011 Wilier cento UNO size 57 -$2500 retails for $4000!!
New 2011 Look 695 I-pack frameset (integrated stem, crank, and seatpost) size 57.5 - $3000 retails for $6000!!!

What an action packed weekend of cycling for Australia. Almost every discipline of bike racing was being fought for at the Oceania Championships near Shepparton (results here), the Scody High Country Challenge was held in Mansfeild, and a couple of other races in Mansfeild and Mt Buller taboot.

In an amazing turn of events, components and clothing company Race Face has been (literally) shut down.

Vincenzo Nibali (Liquigas-Cannondale) explained that he set about marshalling forces at the head of the peloton on Le Manie, when it became clear that a number of big names could be eliminated from contention for Milan-San Remo glory.

Save the Children Norway is helping the children in Japan, auctioning off a number of sports-related items, including cycling jerseys.  All proceeds will go to Save the Children's Japan Appeal.

Yesterday's Milan-San Remo victory by Matt Goss of HTC-Highroad came after one of the most dramatic editions of the race seen in recent years, a split in the peloton just under 100km to go ultimately proving fatal to the chances of many pre-race favorites.

Italian Grand Tour duo ignites race and fans' hopes.

Today's Quote:

“So, there is going to be a mutiny by the Professional Teams from the UCI? Led by JB [Johan Bruyneel], it seems. This is the only explanation of why the USAC would defy the radio ban. Steve Johnson and Co. must be aware of all the happenings and have decided to take sides early. It only makes sense.” - SteveTilford SteveTilford

For the second time in just three years, HTC-Highroad directeur sportif Valerio Piva rushed through the finish area to celebrate winning Milan- San Remo with his rider.

Mavic’s introduced a number of changes to their 2011 wheel line, including a new flagship to the venerable Ksyrium road wheel: The Ksyrium SR.

Italian component manufacturer Campagnolo used the Taipei Cycling Show in Taiwan to unveil the latest additions to its array of cyclocross-specific components.

Cycling is an easy way to meet other people and as we know, the social network is fundamental to human life. This is why we have cycling clubs, which bring people together on and off the bike.

German Federation President wants lifetime ban if result confirmed.

Rider in talks with former Caisse d’Epargne setup. His career looked to be under threat when he and his brother Mariano tested positive for the substance methylhexanamine at the Portuguese national time trial championships last June.

"Wwe came up with a list."

People love the blue-white-red jersey of French champion and it was difficult for them to understand that being the leader of the Europe Tour was a more important distinction.

Fast, zingy carbon clinchers, with confidence-inspiring braking. They're stiff enough for criteriums and light enough for the mountains

"Straightforward, practical and graceful bargain"

"Sturdy clipless shoes with sticky soles – best on platform pedals"

It's a lot of money for a mallet… but it's a good mallet.

Michele Scarponi (Lampre-ISD) has admitted that he left himself with too much to do in the finale of Saturday’s Milan-San Remo, after getting caught in the second group when the peloton split on the descent of Le Manie, 90km from the finish.

"Practical, simple, easy-to-use tool that’s hard to beat."

Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish were best buddies before the start.

The 2011 Tour de Taiwan kicked off Saturday, with Adam Phelan of Australia taking the lead on the first day of the 13-day round-the-island race.

Gilbert rues heavy marking in Classicissima finale.

A group of just seven riders came to the line in San Remo for the sprint in the season’s first monument. Many of the top attackers in the sport were there, but they were beaten in the end.

Philippe Gilbert (Omega Pharma-Lotto) tried desperately to escape the grip of the sprinters at Milan-San Remo but paid for his aggressive riding in the finish.

Mark Cavendish (HTC-Highroad) finished Milan-San Remo in the huge main group, 5:23 behind teammate Matt Goss, after being blocked behind the crash on the descent of Le Manie.

Race starts at 10:00am CET (5:00am U.S. Eastern). Race finish around 5:05pm CET (12:05pm U.S. Eastern). LIVE video from 2:30pm CET.  (9:30am U.S. Eastern).

Italian tips Belgian and Norwegian for Classic.

More than half of registered voters — 54 percent — said they believed the expansion of bicycle lanes had been a positive development for the city.

Chance to help those affected by the tsunami and earthquake.

Milan-San Remo is nothing if not unpredictable. And to win it riders and teams must be capable of constantly improvising.

Lieuwe Westra took the honors at the Classic Loire-Atlantique to seal his first win since the 2009 Tour of Picardy, but it came as no surprise to anyone who watched Paris-Nice last week.

At the end of the Classic Loire Atlantique in La Haie-Fouassière near Nantes in the west of France, race winner Lieuwe Westra (Vacansoleil-DCM) didn't care that the event was only a newly promoted event in the UCI 1.1 category. "Winning is winning," he said.

Cycling borrows many words from European languages, especially French, Italian and Dutch. Here’s a list of the most commonly used ones. Some are so widespread that English speakers use them but others might appear when you’re watching a race on TV, perhaps an on-screen caption.

Today's Quote:

“So, there is going to be a mutiny by the Professional Teams from the UCI? Led by JB [Johan Bruyneel], it seems. This is the only explanation of why the USAC would defy the radio ban. Steve Johnson and Co. must be aware of all the happenings and have decided to take sides early. It only makes sense.” - SteveTilford SteveTilford

Garmin-Cervélo was potentially the strongest team in Milan-San Remo with Thor Hushovd, Tyler Farrar and Heinrich Haussler  as possible winners. But the crash on the Le Manie climb, 90km from the finish, totally changed their three-card race strategy, leaving just Haussler with any chance of success.

Ever wondered whether there was a cheap and accessible way to see Sabah? Try cycling it! This January a group of us expats in Taiwan gathered for eleven satisfying and relaxing days cycling around the west side of Sabah state in Borneo, Malaysia.

Blazin' Saddles: Fab's Golden Ball Bearings.

Spartacus may have put those outlandish claims of motoring across the cobbles to bed, but now the Swiss time-trial specialist has been accused of having balls - and golden ones at that.

Attempts are being made to set up a rival professional cycling tour outside of UCI control, reveals UCI President Pat McQuaid at the end of a long open letter to the riders in the continuing row over the UCI's planned phased ban of radio earpieces in professional races.

Says authorities must not be afraid to bring down heroes.

In early 2010, Leon McCarron set off from New York on a solo, unsupported bicycle tour in the direction of Hong Kong.

New 2011 Wilier cento UNO size 57 -$2500 retails for $4000!!
New 2011 Look 695 I-pack frameset (integrated stem, crank, and seatpost) size 57.5 - $3000 retails for $6000!!!

We've been training with the Wattbike, and it's possible to measure how you're pedaling, how force is delivered in the pedalling action, and improve technique where necessary.

Two latest pairs of kicks from Sidi and Bontrager.

Matt Goss (HTC-Highroad) seems to be suddenly making headlines and is poised for yet bigger and better things following his dramatic victory in Tuesday’s sprint at Paris-Nice.

Using a combination of strength coupled with shrewd tactics saw Goss take what is the biggest win of his short, yet already impressive career.

"Good Etape training aids but costly and need dedication."

Race starts at 10:00am CET (5:00am U.S. Eastern). Race finish around 5:05pm CET (12:05pm U.S. Eastern). LIVE video from 2:30pm CET.  (9:30am U.S. Eastern).

Mark Cavendish and his HTC-Highroad team-mates finished their last training ride ahead of tomorrow's Milan-San Remo. However, Cavendish and one of his main lead out men, Bernhard Eisel took time today in Lainate, west of Milan, to analyse the races past wins and winners.

Oscar Friere has the astonishing talent to make himself invisible in a race like Milan San Remo.

"To me, Milan-San Remo  is a lot like Thanksgiving: it’s an event you look forward to every year, even though you’re really more excited for the big events a few weeks later. A bit formulaic in how it’s tended to play-out over the past few years."

Will Philippe Gilbert finally win a spring Monument?

Is it too early to give the Oscar for Best Foreign Short Film to Spain’s astonishing Orca & the Assassin?

In previous years Handzame was a part of the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen, but this year the organising Krekedalvrienden decided to go solo.

New 2011 Wilier cento UNO size 57 -$2500 retails for $4000!!
New 2011 Look 695 I-pack frameset (integrated stem, crank, and seatpost) size 57.5 - $3000 retails for $6000!!!

Getting a bike to fit you perfectly is something you need to work at. We know riders who’ve ridden for years on what they thought was their perfect bike, with perfect reach, perfect saddle height, perfect handlebar shape, a perfectly set up fork and perfectly inflated tires.

Some of cycling’s biggest stars will be donating the jerseys they are wearing in races this month to the raise funds for survivors of the earthquake in Japan, in an initiative oganised by the Farnese Vini-Neri Sottoli rider, Takashi Miyazawa, the Japanese national champion.

CXMagazine: Breaking News: Trebon to Race for Felt for 2011/2012.

Hot off the presses, Felt Bicycles just announced a partnership with cyclocross superstar Ryan Trebon. The speculation about where the lanky talent would end up after ending his long stint with Kona has finally been put to rest, but not before our own Rumors & Rumblings columns picked the wrong “F” partner (Fuji). Such is the nature of rumors…

"...ask McQuaid, “Why are you being such a dick about race radios?”

Milan-San Remo is a war of attrition. Despite there being just under 300km of racing, there are very few genuine places for an attack to stick - the pace is kept so high throughout the race that it takes a very special rider with good form to break free.

Farnese Vini rider could be banned for life.

Today's Quote:

“The descent was dangerous and on a curve to the left, the wheel hit a bump and I went flying into a dump. We weren’t using ear-pieces, so nobody could advise me it was there. I saw that the race was passing by and I was screaming, but nobody heard me. As best I could, I crawled up to the edge of the road so they could see me. It was a bad moment because I could quickly see that it was something serious.” - Rubén Plaza VeloNews

Pave': Questions for the Classics – Hincapie?

Can George Hincapie finally win Paris-Roubaix?

"Comfortable sportive shoe but not one for headbangers or racers."

Rabobank neo pro Michael Matthews is perhaps the biggest surprise inclusion of all Australian starters for Milan-San Remo; he'll be one of 12 aiming to continue the stellar start the nation has experienced so far in season 2011.

Seems BMW is joining Range Rover and other car manufacturers in offering a bicycle.

Let me just put out a list of potential Milan-San Remo winners first: Phillipe Gilbert, Thor Hushovd, Mark Cavendish, Tyler Farrar, Heinrich Haussler, JJ Haedo, Peter Sagan, Oscar Freire, Michelle Scarponi, Damiano Cunego, Alessandro Ballan, Giovanni Viscontini, Matt Goss, Filippo Pozzato, Alessandro Petacchi, Andre Greipel, Alan Davis, Tom Boonen, Ed Bo Hagen, Fabian Cancellara.

"Distinctively shaped performance saddle at a reasonable price."

"I’d in favor of the UCI exploring the idea of four year bans. But I’m not sure if it will help clean up the sport that much. Instead, perhaps it just removes some of the cheats from circulation for longer?"

The former Irish pro bike rider has managed to piss off just about everybody, from the bike industry, to the promoters and now the professional cyclists. Without all of these different entities there would be no sport of cycling, and yet he still he remains in office.

Controversial former ONCE team doctor Eufemiano Fuentes and former ONCE and Liberty Seguros team boss Manolo Saiz are staring down the barrel of two-year jail sentences following Operación Puerto.

VeloNews: Russian stage race back on track.

Ambitious plans to bring an international stage race to Russia are back online. VeloNews has learned that Russian officials have reached out to the UCI to help reignite plans to create a week-long stage race that ran out of steam following the world economic crisis in late 2008.

Eddy got pretty “lucky” winning 8 stages in 1970 and ’74 at the Tour de France. He won the lottery in 1969 when he won all 3 jerseys for the general classification (yellow jersey), points classification (green jersey) and the mountains classification.

Fitness and training only gets you so far. After that, the space between the ears become the most important determinant of success in sports and in life.

Slightly larger and more deeply padded than the most minimalist of race designs, the Selle Italia  Turbomatic has been a hugely popular saddle for years, this version coming with well-proven shock absorbing technology and a neat look.

Fabian Cancellara (Leopard Trek) is pleased with his form after taking his first win of the season in the final stage of Tirreno-Adriatico, but he has admitted that a repeat of the late attack that saw him win Milan-San Remo in 2008 will be a tall order.

The Taipei Cycle Show has been on this week and, as Asia's equivalent of Eurobike, there has been the usual mass of everyday bikes and innovations on display to amuse the visitors and press from all around the world.

Three-time individual pursuit world champion Sarah Hammer will go for a fourth title at the UCI Track World Championships in Apeldoorn, Netherlands next week despite having a busy schedule that also includes the team pursuit and six -race omnium.

The 10 best pieces of wisdom I've picked up and kept along the way.

A quotation first, from Philippe Brunel’s chapter dealing with Milan – San Remo  in that sumptuous book, ‘The Spring Classics,’ ‘Some, like Boonen, speak of a lottery. “They already said that in my era,” Merckx once commented, “but do you know many guys who won the jackpot seven times with the same ticket?”

New 2011 Wilier cento UNO size 57 -$2500 retails for $4000!!
New 2011 Look 695 I-pack frameset (integrated stem, crank, and seatpost) size 57.5 - $3000 retails for $6000!!!

Will Danilo Di Luca be this spring’s Alexandre Vinokourov?

Here are some things to ponder when writing about outlandish claims regarding the secret of Fabian Cancellara’s success.

My favorite? Thor Hushovd. In Tirreno, he worked for Farrar and I've never seen him as strong. He'll be hard to beat."

Retired Italian star and former world champion, Gianni Bugno issued a unique plea to cycling journalists: “stop using the google image of me as a helicopter pilot.”

Sturmey's S2 kickshift hub didn't fare so well when it first hit the shelves in the 1960s, but 50-odd years on it makes a lot of sense for anyone that likes the clean lines of a singlespeed but secretly wishes the hills weren't so hard. And it's cheaper than many standard track hubs.

The crowds wait for the field on Taylor - yes it is that steep

One of France's best sprinters, Romain Feillu, will be having a go at Milan-San Remo  this Saturday. At his first-ever appearance in the Italian monument, the Vacansoleil-DCM rider - whose brother Brice rides for Leopard-Trek - looks forward to mixing it with the world's best sprinters in the hope of a successful outcome.

Taylor Phinney will line-up for next week's Tour of Catalunya confident of making BMC's Classics team for the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix.

It’s St Patrick’s day, and somehow we’re focusing on a famous Frenchman – but we’ll keep rolling with it.

In response to the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last week, the athletes of Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12 women’s professional cycling team have pledged to donate any race winnings from the upcoming San Dimas Stage Race to recovery efforts.

King George the 3rd, known these days as Patrick McQuaid, royal figure at the UCI, is distressed by the open revolt and “blackmail” of his subjects.

The Amgen Tour of California  will include 19 teams in its race on May 15 through May 22. Organizer AEG selected a mix of international and domestic teams for its sixth annual race.

You hit a parked vehicle breaking your prized carbon and damaging the vehicle; you cross wheels and take down half the bunch in one quick move; you leave the café after that second latté and your bike is gone; you return to your locked bike only to find it damaged and the wheel missing; you stand at the baggage terminal for hours wondering where is my bike bag.

Will Italy’s former champions regain their classic swagger?

Cadel Evans  used to be an annoying whiner, prone to piques of anger and spectacular failings of courage when courage might just have won him a race he’d later feel compelled to complain about having lost.

Today's Quote:

“The descent was dangerous and on a curve to the left, the wheel hit a bump and I went flying into a dump. We weren’t using ear-pieces, so nobody could advise me it was there. I saw that the race was passing by and I was screaming, but nobody heard me. As best I could, I crawled up to the edge of the road so they could see me. It was a bad moment because I could quickly see that it was something serious.” - Rubén Plaza VeloNews

Alessandro Petacchi's participation in Milan-San Remo this weekend is in doubt. The Lampre-ISD sprinter is still suffering from a cold and asthma, giving him breathing difficulties.

CXMagazine: New Product Spotlight and Review - An Alternative Sticker to UCI’s Frame Approval Sticker.

“So when do the counterfeit stickers start hitting the market?”

The Sigma Sport- Specialized rider fractured his tibia and suffered internal bleeding after hitting a metal road sign during the one-day race.

"Avid's new Elixir 9 doesn't offer market-leading stopping power or modulation, but it does a very good job of combining the two features."

Specialized and McLaren unveiled their new aero road bike to the world's press in Woking today. The launch took place at the Formula One team's HQ, two days ahead of Milan-San Remo, where Mark Cavendish will ride the bike for the first time in competition.

From early on, SRAM’s business philosophy has been to be positioned close to its customer. That approach has paid particularly good dividends in Taiwan.

At a meeting in Milan Thursday, the Professional Cycling Council decided to recommend a four-year suspension, rather than the current two-years, for the first doping offense “involving a serious substance.”

By the way, if you noticed that the alien and Cipollini bear a striking resemblance to one another, this is not a coincidence.

Frustrated teams threw down the gauntlet Thursday and vowed to not attend the UCI-backed Tour of Beijing in October over a long-running feud on the race radio ban issue.

TheInnerRing: The Beijing boycott.....

Teams’ and riders’ associations blocked from meeting with CCP.

You take her hand and lead her out to the old stone shed where naturally you discover two worn but serviceable cruiser bikes and, amazingly enough, a picnic basket packed with local delicacies and two bottles of wine.

A pioneer in the production of hand-crafted titanium frames starting in 1986, Merlin will reach a wider audience at Competitive Cyclist, according to a press release.

The head of Giant, the world’s biggest bicycle supplier, has warned that a surge in sales of bicycles following last week’s earthquake and tsunami will affect short-term supply of bikes.

BikingBis: Tour de Fat jilts Seattle and Portland; 13 cities on tap in 2011

I can tell you that this cut-up-bottle-of-water technology can only be an improvement on their past attempts at making communication devices of any kind.

Specialized will officially launch its new Venge aero road frame in Italy on Friday, adding yet another yet another option to the quickly expanding aero road category. It will eventually be available in two models, a standard S-Works version and an ultralight, premium S-Works+McLaren version.

United States Bicycle Route System (USBRS), a non-profit bike path and trail program, has attracted the interest of 30 states across the country, 14 of which have already starting implementing a network of bicycle routes.

Might as well ride like this at the front when you're pulling.

"Well specified and efficient pump at a good pricepoint."

"Engaging and rewarding, well made race wheels for a tight budget."

SRAM has officially unveiled its new line line of internal gear hubs at the Taipei Cycling Show. Part of this new line up is the Auto-2 automatically shifting hub. It has adjustable points at speeds 12, 14, and 18 kph.

The 2011 Taipei Cycle Show is underway, which means that the winners of the winners of the 15th annual International Bicycle Design Competition (IBDC) have been announced.

On paper if I described a seven hour race where nothing happens until the last 10 minutes, you might not get excited. If I described a race that his very flat and often won by the sprinters, then again you might not be excited. But there’s something special about Milan-Sanremo.

PodiumCafe: MSR - To Sprint or To Attack? A Team-By-Team Review.....

Super Mario analyses the chances of Cavendish, Hushovd, Freire and Gilbert.

Will Tom Boonen and Quick-Step atone for last year’s “sins”?

Belgian sprinter back to form with Quick Step team.

Working Video Link: 2011 Nokere Koerse,,,,.

Race start: 12:15pm CET (7:15am U.S. Eastern). Live streaming video: 3:00pm CET (10:00am U.S. Eastern).

The 2011 Spring Classics season kicks off on Saturday March 19 with Milan-San Remo in Italy, then it's north to Belgium on March 27 to open the cobbled classics with Ghent-Wevelgem followed by the Tour of Flanders (April 3) and Paris-Roubaix (April 10).

BB30 bottom bracket  systems, first developed by Cannondale, have very large bearings that press straight into the frame. They've been followed by the Shimano Press-Fit system, loosely referred to as ‘BB90’, and both are appearing on bikes around the £1,500 mark. They’re effective and seem reliable so far.

Chamois cream is no substitute for a good bike fit, an adequate chamois pad, and good personal hygiene.

Cramping occurs when the body lacks sodium (salt), which is lost through sweat

Will I have any issues running a 10-speed chain with the 9-speed XTR cassette and rear derailleur?

"Great race shoe let down by basic fastening at this price"

My master plan to seek my own personal understanding of “The Sanremo” was continuing nicely, and now that race day had arrived, my local plan was to ride in the AM, get back out and cover the Cipressa and Poggio again, before taking the car back up the final climb for the actual race.

Get to know friends and teammates Kaitie Antonneau and Coryn Rivera of Team Peanut Butter  Co TWENTY12. The two under-23 riders, who have competed against each other for most of the racing lives, became friends and are now teammates for the 2011 season.

CyclingNews: Bishop and Gould are early leaders in 2011 Pro XCT.

eremiah Bishop (Cannondale) and Georgia Gould (Luna) are leading the US Pro Cross Country Tour (Pro XCT) standings after one round.

Who doesn’t want to buy a cruiser bike.

Milan San Remo is this Saturday and the prognosticators are laying out the favorites. But who needs experts when you have Twisted Spoke?

Taylor Phinney  (BMC) says he’s still hopeful he’ll be able to race the upcoming northern classics despite sitting on the sidelines so far through much of the 2011 season due to a nagging knee injury and a mild concussion.

Veteran commentator to participate in mountain bike stage race.

Are there too many cooks to stir the pot at Garmin-Cervelo?

VeloNation: Matt Goss Interview - Seven wins thus far, and ready for Milan-Sanremo.

In-form sprinter raring to go on eve of La Primavera.

Leopard Trek manager Brian Nygaard has denied reports that Fabian Cancellara is making use of an innovative system of ball bearings that offers gains of up to 2.5 seconds per kilometre.

Specialized will launch their new aero road bike ahead of this weekend's Milan-San Remo, built with assistance from Formula One team McLaren.

The International Cycling Union  (UCI), cycle sport’s world governing body, yesterday announced new 2012 road bikes from Cannondale and Pinarello as well as a new Corima track bike when it published its first list of frames and forks that have been approved for UCI-sanctioned racing.

When Lauren Booth, now nine, contracted bacterial meningitis at the age of just six weeks it left her with brain damage, loss of hearing and cerebal palsy  affecting her arm and leg. Doctors feared that she'd never walk or talk, but now she's one of the most talented young cyclists in the country.

Italian manufacturer Campagnolo previewed additions to their cyclo-cross and Fulcrum wheelset range at the 2011 Taipei Cycle show.

VeloNation: Evans pleased with early season form and world number one slot.

Australian shares World Tour lead with Paris-Nice winner Martin.

New 2011 Wilier cento UNO size 57 -$2500 retails for $4000!!
New 2011 Look 695 I-pack frameset (integrated stem, crank, and seatpost) size 57.5 - $3000 retails for $6000!!!

Alberto Contador's lawyer, Andy Ramos, has admitted that he has no idea whether the UCI will challenge the verdict of the competitions committee of the Spanish federation to decide against imposing a ban on the three-time Tour de France champion. But Ramos added that if the case does go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), everyone in the Contador camp is confident that the decision reached by the Spanish federation will be upheld.

Today's Quote:

“The descent was dangerous and on a curve to the left, the wheel hit a bump and I went flying into a dump. We weren’t using ear-pieces, so nobody could advise me it was there. I saw that the race was passing by and I was screaming, but nobody heard me. As best I could, I crawled up to the edge of the road so they could see me. It was a bad moment because I could quickly see that it was something serious.” - Rubén Plaza VeloNews

Some months back I was at the top of a significant climb, sucking cool air during bites of a PowerBar. Not some variety of energy-type bar, but an actual PowerBar.

Trek-LIVESTRONG’s Lawson Craddock, Gavin Mannion and National PRO Champion Ben King. Ben must of not qualified for the list somehow. Maybe he’s too much from North America or just too good already.

The team will continue to use TrainingPeaks to monitor and plan each rider’s training program, including analysis of workout data collected from their SRM power meters. This will be the third season that the team has worked with the Colorado-based company.

Ezequiel Mosquera was supposed to be Vacansoleil’s second star signing but the only reason for the Dutch team to be happy is that he hasn’t brought as much bad publicity as Riccardo Riccò. He was suspended after tests showed both he and then team mate David Garcia Da Peña had tested positive for hydroxyethyl starch (HES) in the Vuelta a España. Garcia also tested positive for EPO and was subsequently banned.

The 103-year-old Long Beach California resident still enjoys riding, although he uses a tricycle these days at the insistence of a wife Alicia, after his balance started to get a tad shaky once he’d turned 100.

They may have been at loggerheads in the past but Mark Cavendish( HTC-Highroad ) and Filippo Pozzato(Katusha) are now the best of friends.

As you may be aware, this training program was developed jointly through the efforts of the LAPD and the local bicycling community, and shows exactly how LAPD officers are trained to interpret and enforce the California Vehicle Code as it pertains to bicycling.

Colin Williamson who lives in the West Midlands area of the UK, sent me pictures of a tandem frame I built in 1975.

"Classic shape that still puts up a solid all-round performance."

Seattle cyclist Don Cox has developed a product that every wet weather Pacific Northwest cyclist can appreciate.

In the glitz of the European professional season sparking into life it’s easy for results to get missed – take Kristian House’s (GB & Rapha Condor Sharp) win in the Tour of South Africa for instance.

The only national track racing series in the USA, the American Track Racing Association's (ATRA) National Championship Series is gearing up for its second year with a 13-event calendar that criss-crosses the continental United States.

Race start: 12:15pm CET (7:15am U.S. Eastern). Live streaming video: 3:00pm CET (10:00am U.S. Eastern).

A flat course for the last stage of the Tirreno-Adriatico.

A shiny trident trophy rescued from the sea by the Italian Coast Guard.

CyclingFans: 2011 Tirreno-Adriatico LIVE - Stage 7.....

SteepHill: Tirreno-Adriatico 2011 Live Dashboard.....

Tuesday's Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 7 Individual Time Trial at San Benedetto del Tronto  gets underway at 1:15pm CET (8:15am U.S. Eastern) with the departure of the first rider.  Riders will depart at 1-minute intervals with the final 10 riders departing at 2-minute intervals.  Tirreno-Adriatico live video streaming should begin at around 2:50pm CET (9:50am U.S. Eastern).

“Everyone seems to think that HTC is a sprinter’s team, with Cav, Goss, Degenkolb and Greipel last year, it seemed like we’d win every bunch sprint. Now every stage race we go to, we’re in there for a high placing.”

The Race to the Sun wrapped up Sunday in the pouring rain. It was the second day of wet misery in a row, and it made for a pretty excellent race.

Here's Thomas' hero card from the Schwinn/Icy Hot days.

How do you make one of the best energy food products on the market even better? Why, add more flavors of course.

"Expensive but lightweight pump that’s easy to use for its size"

The course is pretty straightforward: it starts in Ronse at the southern (kinda western) edge of the Flemish Ardennes, cuts through the hills with a few ups and downs (Vossenhol, Kruisberg, Kluisberg*, Hotond) before exiting the hills, saying hello to Waregem across the Leie River, and dipping back over the Leie to Nokere just outside Oudenaarde for the 15km finishing circuit, which it runs eight times.

The Quiznos Pro Challenge  today announced five more teams for the inaugural edition of the Colorado stage race, adding the ProTeam Leopard Trek and Pro Continental teams UnitedHealthcare, Team Type 1-, Skil-Shimano and Spidertech-C10 to the list of invited teams.

Cadel Evans (BMC) has equalled the WorldTour ranking points total of Paris-Nice winner Tony Martin (HTC-Highroad) to take the lead of the sport's top competition.

Cycling as an elite sport has often has little to do with ecology. Convoys of team cars, the consumerist message and the way riders dump used bottles and food wrapers don’t make things look very green at all.

We don’t think that the radio ban will only favor those riders who can sense fatigue, despair, or that elusive odor of being behind the eight ball in the riders around them.

The Col d’Izoard.

Today's Quote:

“The positive test destroyed me but made me a better person.” - Toni Colom CyclingNews

The president of the Spanish federation and his senior legal adviser believe that the UCI will challenge the federation’s decision to overturn the ban imposed on Alberto Contador after the Tour de France champion had tested positive for clenbuterol. The federation’s legal adviser, Luis Sanz, told AS: “We are sure that the UCI is going to challenge Contador’s absolution.”

Is Vacansoleil-DCM the second coming of TVM-Farm Frites or Bankgiroloterij-Batavus?

Last Sunday approximately 1,500 Australian cyclists ventured into the Victorian Alps to conquer what’s known as “The 3 Peaks”. Bicycle Victoria did an outstanding job at organising everything and making the event run smoothly.

In the spirit of preparing for the year's first Classic, we're going to take a look back before we look forward.

Our next goal is the Flèche Vélocio. The Flèche  is a 24-hour team ride in spring. Each team plans their route in order to ride the maximum distance they can in 24 hours. At the end of the ride, all teams congregate at a scenic location to enjoy each other’s company.

"Syncros’s AM 1-bolt is a sleek and robust seatpost with a dash of retro appeal"

Your first line of suspension and vibration damping on a road bike is your tires and tire pressure.

Their website asks the obvious question “Who says a rain poncho has to look ridiculous?” But that’s precisely the word for this rain collection.

“In these economic times, we can only afford to invest in solutions that solve multiple problems. Bicycling and walking programs do that and they are essential to our communities. When every tax dollar has to do the most good, it’s the right time to invest in bicycling."

New retiree Lance Armstrong hits the bar at Del Boca Pista Assisted Living Estates.

The Spanish Cycling Protection Federation believes the UCI is not only in vehement disagreement with their decision to absolve Alberto Contador but ready to battle them in a Swiss court.

Spaniard again claims that he’s innocent.

Jelly Belly Presented by Kendra — who is such a sexy girl — won the Tour of Murrieta. That’s not exactly the Tour of California but it’s a small sub-section of the Golden Bear state.

It is four days before the season’s first one-day monument at Milan-San Remo and 2008 winner Fabian Cancellara (Leopard-Trek) is making plans. But those plans are much farther reaching than the 300 kilometers he’ll face Saturday.

Fränk Schleck abandon Paris-Nice due to back pains on stage seven but sport director Kim Andersen insisted he was satisfied with his performance.

"I don’t want everyone to think I’m only interested in women’s cycling," Gérard Vroomen told me near the end of an hour-long conversation.

A bike blogger who together with her partner had eight bikes stolen, has had them all returned thanks, in part, to the efforts of her readers.

Move these guys to the top of your list of schmucks who should be caught.

Vote for his spoke-bike with a "like," and if he wins, and there is a good chance as Far and Away Cycling has lots of fans, the bike will be auctioned for Japanese relief. The Dream Bike is valued at US$ 9,000.

"Smart and well finished, but not quick enough"

Geoff Kabush. Laid-back, the man with the side-burns is a fierce competitor that can shotgun a beer in two seconds. A successful mountain biker that races cross for fun in the fall, a dog rescuer and a vocal proponent of clean cycling. Kabush is all that and more.

CyclingFans: 2011 Tirreno-Adriatico LIVE - Stage 7.....

SteepHill: Tirreno-Adriatico 2011 Live Dashboard.....

Tuesday's Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 7 Individual Time Trial at San Benedetto del Tronto  gets underway at 1:15pm CET (8:15am U.S. Eastern) with the departure of the first rider.  Riders will depart at 1-minute intervals with the final 10 riders departing at 2-minute intervals.  Tirreno-Adriatico live video streaming should begin at around 2:50pm CET (9:50am U.S. Eastern).

Giro d’Italia champion feels he can take on anyone in his bid for a first Tour de France.

It's MSR Week, to be followed by Vlaamse Wielerweek, to be followed by (I am tearing up a bit now) Ronde van Vlaanderen week, then Paris-Roubaix.

So much for the relaxed, slow build up to his season.

Toni Colom has said that he hopes to return to pro racing when his two-year ban for EPO  use ends in early June. He has also admitted that his positive test and subsequent ban turned his life upside down, but has, he believes, ended up making him a better person.

In all the fuss surrounding Alberto Contador’s performance and victory at the Tour of Murcia earlier this month, it was easy to miss an outstanding ride by another Spanish rider who is earning fulsome praise from Spanish national coach José Luis De Santos and the Spanish press.

CyclingFans: 2011 Tirreno-Adriatico LIVE: Stage 6.....

SteepHill: Tirreno-Adriatico 2011 Live Dashboard.....

Stage 6 starts at 11:45am CET (6:45am U.S. Eastern). LIVE video from 2:50pm CET (9:50am U.S. Eastern).

Chris Horner  is making a later-than-usual start to the 2011 season, but plans to come out guns-a-blazin’ with a season debut next week at the Volta a Catalunya (March 21-27) in Spain.

A 2011 UCI World and Europe Tour calendar in iCal, Google Calendar and HTML formats!

The race was surprising because I felt pretty okay. But, I’m not fooling myself, that was mainly because I never really had to kill myself.

Lightweight callipers that provide powerful stopping in both wet and dry conditions.

So you want to be a PRO cyclist? What's that? You just haven't caught your big break, or no one has explained the secrets to you?

Whether you’re a vegetarian or you just want to cut back on your meat intake, knowing how to get the right balance of nutrients from a meat-free diet can keep you at peak cycling performance.

Today's Quote:

“The positive test destroyed me but made me a better person.” - Toni Colom CyclingNews

Two-time Ronde van Vlaanderen winner professes to have no opinion on the possible changing of the race’s finish, but admits it would be strange.

Italian-American superteam “Dedicated to Marina Romoli”

It’s a torture test downhill run thru town along narrow sidewalks with jumps, ramps, dirt roads, staircases and raving loco fans on a course so sketchy no reasonable daredevil would accept the challenge.

"I want to pick up a point touched on in this morning’s L’Equipe: are the UCI ranking points influencing the outcomes of races?"

HTC-Highroad rider nudges Cameron Meyer off the top spot.

Cadel Evans (BMC Racing) is taking a good look at three of his top Tour de France rivals this week in Italy. The overall leader at Tirreno-Adriatico said Sunday, however, that his focus was squarely on winning the final GC in his first stage race of the year.

Heinrich Haussler  was not seriously injured in his many crashes in last week's Paris-Nice, and was happy to end up with the green jersey for best points rider which escaped him two years ago. The Garmin-Cervelo rider is looking forward to his "first season highlight", Milan-San Remo.

Our pilot Feed Zone events during Omloop Het Niewsbald, Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and Paris-Nice were so much fun, we decided we had to continue doing it!

"My name is Nancy Arreola and I am from Monterrey Mexico.  I am in love with cycling since I was little and I have been racing in my country for the last 7 years."

Pampanga, Philippines; day two of the Tour of Clark saw the cycling gods smile on Ricardo Maala (American Vinyl) once again. After a day of cat and mouse attacks, the race was decided in a bunch sprint in Maala's favor.

Italians have done a lot for cycling, we all know that.

Ever wonder what it’s like to ride in the team car at a Pro Tour race? This video will give you some idea. The BMC team car navigates its way through the caravan at high speed on tricky, narrow roads to get up to their rider Jeff Louder for a bike change. It is also a great example of a smooth bike change, “Take your front wheel Jeff, take your front wheel!”

Euskaltel is the last ProTeam left without a win in 2011. Could that be a problem in 2012?

Jelly Belly presented by Kenda entered this weekend’s Tour of Murrieta in Murrieta, Calif., with three goals: get racing experience for the new young riders, prepare for upcoming competition and win the race.

Shimano say that, while their thoughts are with the victims of the huge earthquake and tsunami that hit the northern part of Japan on Friday, their head office and factory have thankfully not been affected.

Many are keeping an eye on Danilo Di Luca. The Italian rider is on the comeback trail with Katusha after a lengthy ban and came close to a stage win in Tirreno-Adriatico over the weekend.

Dane and Spaniard still debating 2011 Giro goals.

The teams and riders associations, the AIGCP and the CPA, are to present a united front on the fight against doping as well as on the contentious issue of the radio ban when the Pro Cycling Council (PCC) meets on Thursday.

Five frames and their respective forks have been approved – the Felt DA time trial bike (as we revealed last week), Cannondale SuperSix Evo and Pinarello FCM777 road bikes, Corima VIF track bike and Richard Sachs Signature cyclo-crosser.

Battle lines are continuing to be drawn in the ongoing row over the UCI’s decision to press on with its ban on two-way radios during races, with the European Cycling Union  (EUC), which unites the continent’s national cycling federations, perhaps unsurprisingly coming out in support of the governing body.

Cooper Bikes, founded by Michael Cooper almost two years ago, is launching seven models of commuter, lifestyle bikes into North America. Michael Cooper is the son of auto racing legend and Cooper Car Co. founder John Cooper.

At the beginning of the 2009 season Matthew Busche was riding as an amateur in the US, then Kelly Benefits snapped him up, he rode a mere four races for them before Johan Bruyneel signed him for Team Radioshack.

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s ITT, Evans, Ivan Basso, Cunego, Scarponi, and Robert Gesink are all grouped within seconds of one another.

"Any time a shop breaks the routine of business as usual, I get curious. It’s easy to put your head down and spend your days concerned with inventory turn, how many bikes were built and how fast those repairs get picked up. So when someone takes the time to bring in a representative from one of the brands they carry, I like to check those events out."

A Study in Champpions.

We’re suckers for bikes that glow.

With a route including five categorised climbs, including the Category 1 ascents of La Turbie and the Col d’Eze inside the closing 40km, the stage was set for someone to launch an attack late on to try and wrest the yellow jersey off Martin’s shoulders.

VeloNews: Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 5 Results.....

The French love panache — after all, they invented the word. The definition is someone, in this case a bike racer in Paris-Nice, who has a “dashing confidence of style, or shows a certain flamboyance and courage.”

Astana's Robert Kiserlovski spent one night at the hospital before flying back home to Rijeka, Croatia, after a terribly spectacular crash he had at Paris-Nice in stage 7 on Saturday. TV footage showed him lying on the ground under a parked truck on a slippery downhill.

“With a long time trial, this race was made for me”, Martin admitted after pulling on the yellow jersey in a rainy Nice on Sunday afternoon.

SteepHill: Paris-Nice 2011 Live Dashboard.....

Sunday's Paris-Nice Stage 8 departs Nice at 11:15 CET (6:15am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Nice around 14:45 CET (9:45am U.S. Eastern).  Paris-Nice live streaming video should begin from around 1:25pm CET (8:25am U.S. Eastern).

Sunday's Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 5 departs Chieti at 9:25 CET (4:25am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Castelraimondo at around 16:16 CET (11:16am U.S. Eastern).  Tirreno-Adriatico live video streaming should begin at around 15:00 CET (10:00am U.S. Eastern).

Mark Cavendish has shrugged off questions about his form for next Saturday’s Milan-San Remo, insisting that he is feeling good despite missing out in the two sprint finishes at Tirreno-Adriatico.

2009 World Champion in an ideal position to vie for overall honors over final three days.

Vendors sell all kinds of clothing and gear. Hand-crafted and factory assembled bicycles are displayed throughout. Inventions, such as fabric reflectors for a bike frame and the polycarbonate mud flaps, are scattered around.

Tejay van Garderen crashed heavily on a downhill during stage 7 of Paris-Nice on Saturday but he got back on his bike afterward to assume his duty as an HTC-High Road team player defending Tony Martin's yellow jersey. Martin would go on to keep the jersey until the end of the "Race to the Sun", thanks in part to van Gareren.

Big battle certain in days ahead.

Today's Quote:

"Another very tricky stage to end PN, they threw every curve in Nice at us today. I'd say it was a good week for Team RadioShack." - Levi Leipheimer FaceBook

The “Race to the Sun” certainly didn’t live up to its moniker Saturday in what turned out to be a crash derby at Paris-Nice.

19 riders retired from Paris-Nice  during Saturday’s stage as the wet and twisting roads of the south of France sparked some high-speed crashes and made for a tough day in the saddle.

A Dutch company, Madame de Pé, has unveiled a new range of rainwear for female cyclists, and with the emphasis on fashion, there’s not a trace of hi-viz material or reflective piping in sight.

Crank Brothers M17 multi-tool manages to do exactly what is says on the tin while looking decidedly chic into the bargain.

"Minimalist but high quality mini-tool."

Typically the carbon fibres are thinner than a human hair. These fine filaments are then woven into yarn, just like tiny fibres of wool are made into a yarn of wool.

Gifted 20 year old fully recovered after last month’s training crash.

For 2011, wheel specialists Reynolds are offering potential customers a 'try before you buy' service. Their Spin It Up program will allow riders in both the UK and US to take several models for a test ride.

Belgian rider making big progress at 24 years of age.

The Specialized Shiv is one of the most striking time trial bikes we've seen.

This weekend is the kick off weekend of pro mountain bike racing in the US, and many of the top field drivers in North America will be toeing the line.

We rejoin the final kilometer of the race with a shot from the rear of Hennie Kuiper in the back of the four-man breakaway, sitting up straight out of the saddle and stretching his arms. The narrator says, “The time is 10 past 5. A little relaxation before riding into the stadium.”

Cleaning a drivetrain is a tedious process. Grease is often the biggest obstacle, and the old soap and water standby usually doesn’t do much but smear dirty grease around your bike. It usually takes a toothbrush, some degreaser, and lots of patience to get the bike clean, but Motorex’s “Easy Clean” degreaser may mean an end to all this.

Danilo Di Luca  showed he has returned from his doping suspension with a strong performance yesterday on one of Tirreno-Adriatico's toughest stages.

SteepHill: Paris-Nice 2011 Live Dashboard.

Sunday's Paris-Nice Stage 8 departs Nice at 11:15 CET (6:15am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Nice around 14:45 CET (9:45am U.S. Eastern).  Paris-Nice live streaming video should begin from around 1:25pm CET (8:25am U.S. Eastern).

Sunday's Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 5 departs Chieti at 9:25 CET (4:25am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Castelraimondo at around 16:16 CET (11:16am U.S. Eastern).  Tirreno-Adriatico live video streaming should begin at around 15:00 CET (10:00am U.S. Eastern).

2009 World Champion in an ideal position to vie for overall honors over final three days.

Or so goes the common complaint about Paris-Nice. For a relatively exciting race, people sure have plenty of complaints.

The weather played havoc with the bunch, claiming several victims on the greasy road surface.

Bradley Wiggins’  strong ride in Friday’s 27km time trial and Saturday’s tough hilly stage in rain means the British rider is set to finish on the podium in Paris-Nice and confirm he is still Team Sky’s team leader for major stage races.

The big names all showed up at the end of the first of two consecutive 240km stages.

Saturday's Paris-Nice Stage 7 departs Brignoles at 12:20 CET (6:20am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Biot-Sophia Antipolis around 17:45 CET (11:45am U.S. Eastern).  Paris-Nice live streaming video  should begin around 3:30pm CET (9:30am U.S. Eastern).

Saturday's Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 4 departs Narni at 9:15 CET (3:15am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Chieti at around 15:44 CET (9:44am U.S. Eastern).  Tirreno-Adriatico live video streaming should begin at around 15:10 CET (9:10am U.S. Eastern).

Spaniard had higher expectations himself.

Trek-Livestrong will be well-prepared to contest a combination of domestic events, including the NRC Redlands Bicycle Classic, and international events following a weeklong training camp held in Solvang, California.

I mean, I can’t speak for you. But few things tick me off more than riding through one of the all-too-few bike lanes in this megalopolis we call home — let alone the even rarer ones that are actually worth using — only to suddenly have to dart into unforgiving traffic without warning.

Het Fairwheel Podium is a new concept store that just opened in the cyclocross hotbed of Portland, Oregon, and like any modern shop worth its salt, there’s some cool cyclocross gear in the house.

The “Race to the Sun” certainly didn’t live up to its moniker Saturday in what turned out to be a crash derby at Paris-Nice.

While USA Cycling has announced it will allow race radio to be used in National Racing Calendar events this season, the European Cycling Union has backed the UCI on a gradual elimination of their use.

Dutchman happy with team's progress, once again aiming at Ardennes Classics.

The Tirreno-Adriatico peloton gathered for a minute's silence before the start of the fourth stage on Saturday morning to remember the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

US Congressman Jack Kingston criticised the ongoing federal probe into seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong and allegations of doping.

Stefan Schumacher  has admitted to having “made mistakes” in the past, but now says that he wants to win back the sympathy and trust he has lost. By riding and winning clean, the Miche-Guerciotti rider also hopes to do his part to restore German cycling.

Produits Diététiques: There’s no exact translation for these products, they’re part diet-food, part health-food and you’ll often find a whole row in a supermarket dedicated to these products.

"Just the thing for smart-casual commutes and more leisurely rides, although you may baulk at the price"

Belgian rider making big progress at 24 years of age.

“I don’t want to race anymore, no chance. I’ve turned the page, I’m fed up with the cycling world, it makes me want to vomit,” he said. “I’m fed up with everyone in cycling. They already wanted me to stop when I came back but now enough’s enough, Riccò is no more.”

If you haven’t heard of grid girls before, you haven’t seen motorbike racing. It’s common in motorsport where riders on the start line are often accompanied by a woman with an umbrella… and not much else.

Wants to have compromise with only security info relayed to the riders.

Kreder sixth overall in Uruguayan race.

Today's Quote:

"There’s a lot of talk of the next big ‘whoever,’ all I can say to that is that I am a completely different than any other rider. Everyone is different. I am going to do my best to be the best Taylor Phinney who’s ever ridden a bike." - Taylor Phinney VeloNews

Getting around London on a bike can be a challenging and sometimes dangerous proposition. As one of the most traffic-congested cities in Europe, and below the likes of Amsterdam, Berlin and Copenhagen in the bike-friendly stakes, morning commutes require cyclists to be constantly on their guard.

"Are smaller frames better?"

Café Domestique, a cycling-themed coffee shop off the main street in the small town of Dundas, Ontario, isn’t your ordinary coffee shop. In fact, it’s something they seem to be proud of.

When visiting Colnago, it is an absolute must to check out the legendary museum. This is a living archive of Colnago cycles from the past to the present.

"I just wrapped the biggest week of riding in my life – 480km in 23 hours over 5 days – am I tired? You bet. But the week was a lot more than logging some big quality base miles… it was also about sharing a lot of laughs and making some new friends. And isn’t that why we go to camp in the first place?"

Podium Cycling Jerseys.

Euro Pro Quality, American Service.

This weekend will see the further development of two of the early season’s most important, colorfully-nicknamed stage races, Paris-Nice (the Race to the Sun) and Tirreno-Adriatico (the Race of the Two Seas).

The professional racing season is underway in Europe. The pro peloton are all racing to the sun in France or from sea to sea in Italy, and there are finally more articles about actual racing than about the Contador case. At last,

“To win this stage was my real goal at Paris-Nice but now I hope to keep the yellow jersey until the end and I’m confident of doing it.”

Other than intermediate points, the sprinters are done for this tour. Saturday’s fourth stage is the first of two back-to-back 240km days in the mountains.

Friday's Paris-Nice Stage 6 is a 27km Individual Time Trial from Rognes to Aix-en-Provence.  The time trial will start at 13:35 CET (7:35am U.S. Eastern) with the departure of the first rider.  Paris-Nice live streaming video should begin around 3:45pm CET (9:45am U.S. Eastern.

Friday's Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 3 departs Terranuova Bracciolini at 11:40 CET (5:40am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Perugia at around 16:10 CET (10:10am U.S. Eastern).  Tirreno-Adriatico live video streaming should begin at around 15:15 CET (9:15am U.S. Eastern).

Just like in our previous Feed Zone events, we’ll armchair DS our way through the race, picking favorites, discussing tactics and making bold predictions about the rest of the spring races.

The peloton will boycott the Tour of Beijing over the race radio ban, according to the Belgian media. The ProTeams have unanimously sent a letter to Pat McQuaid, president of the International Cycling Union, announcing their intentions to boycott the race, to be held October 5-9.

Felt‘s DA race bike has received UCI approval.

The Grant's Tomb Criterium takes place on Saturday at the place where Grant is buried (seriously, you know that's Grant's Tomb, right?).
Saturday also has the Branchbrook Park Spring Series Training Race #2.
Sunday has round two of the Spring Series in Central Park.
And Sunday also has the Outdoor Sport Center Bethel Spring Series' Ris Van Bethel, which claims the NYVC prize for longest series name.

Podium Cycling Jerseys.

Euro Pro Quality, American Service.

The International Cycling Union approved a Continental license for Michael Rasmussen's new Christina Watches - Onfone team. Its official roster still is yet to include Italian Angelo Furlan, whose contract was signed earlier this month.

Or maybe not. Clever mechanics are interpreting a new UCI shifter clarification with ingenuity. In a communiqué distributed to teams at Tirreno-Adriatico, the UCI has handed down a new clarification to where time trial extensions will be measured for riders using return-to-center shifters (Namely the SRAM R2C).

With the FDA investigation reportedly meeting with more cooperation than resistance Armstrong appeared to have lost his fight. His attempts to discredit Novitzky - his only tactic when it comes to his ‘enemies' - looked ever more desperate, and his decision to come back to the sport ever more misguided.

The spat between Trent Lowe apparently hasn’t exhausted every legal avenue but it’s certainly blow up into a public relations war with each side trading blows via quotes, statements and press releases.

Four or five wildcard places to be decided by May.

Manolo Saiz said that he got involved in the Puerto case because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when the Guardia Civil made their initial arrests on 23 May 2006. He says he went to a hotel cafeteria that day to speak with doctors Eufemiano Fuentes and José Luis Merino Batres to talk about the health and prospects of a blind girl.

The World Anti-Doping Agency has praised the Court of Arbitration decision to ban Franco Pellizotti and Pietro Caucchioli. The two Italian cyclists were each given a two-year suspensions for violations of the biological passport program.

The pro racing scene in North America has grown by leaps and bounds, but it all has to start somewhere. What must it have been like to be in the formative years of bike racing in the USA barnstorming around the country?

It’s not time to hit the Mark Cavendish panic button just yet. So says HTC-Highroad sports director Valerio Piva. Tirreno-Adriatico leader Tyler Farrar (Garmin-Cervélo), one of the Manxman’s top rivals for Milan-San Remo, agreed after Friday’s stage, in which Cavendish finished 90th in the final sprint finish before La Primavera.

The Speed Concept is the fastest bike in the world. That’s what Trek reckon, anyway. And out of all the Speed Concepts they produce, this is the top model. Yup, this promises to be some bike.

“Yesterday everyone decided to go extremely hard,” said Bookwalter describing stage 5’s 193 kilometer slog through the French wine country. “It took a while for the break to go – there was a lot of reshuffling. Whenever there is that much reshuffling going on there’s a lot of guys biting their handlebars and willing themselves to continue.”

"I just wrapped the biggest week of riding in my life – 480km in 23 hours over 5 days – am I tired? You bet. But the week was a lot more than logging some big quality base miles… it was also about sharing a lot of laughs and making some new friends. And isn’t that why we go to camp in the first place?"

A bicycle-less vacation. An intractable stomach virus. An ultra-marathoner’s autobiography. And a fellow who cut his own arm off. These are the things that have me thinking about endurance.

A curiosity. Yesterday’s sprint between eight riders saw Andreas Klöden get the better of Samuel Sanchez. Some were surprised to see Klöden win, he is famous for being slow in a sprint finish.

After losing out to Andy Schleck in Morzine during last year’s Tour and, yesterday, to Andreas Klöden in the fifth stage of Paris-Nice, the Euskaltel-Euskadi leader is once again letting major opportunities slip away when most people would back him to win.

Today's Quote:

"There’s a lot of talk of the next big ‘whoever,’ all I can say to that is that I am a completely different than any other rider. Everyone is different. I am going to do my best to be the best Taylor Phinney who’s ever ridden a bike." - Taylor Phinney VeloNews

If you want to go faster on your road bike, spend some time getting aero, says Jeff Jones, editor of BikeRadar and 2009 British Masters time trial champion.

An affordable race bike with an interesting set of parts.

"Popular lightweight saddle, but pricey and the shape won’t suit everyone."

Alchemy’s new aero carbon fiber road bike is, like virtually every bike at NAHBS, gets full custom geometry.

Today’s action at Tirreno-Adriatico and Paris-Nice both saw exciting racing.

Saxo Bank-Sungard rider Bellis is itching to get into the peloton again: "It's a bit annoying: when I was watching Tirreno earlier today, I thought 'I want to get racing'. But in the long-term, this will benefit me more. I'll be stronger, fitter and more comfortable." Nevertheless, it still points to a return to full fitness for Bellis following the Tuscan scooter crash in September 2009 that left him in a coma, his body emaciated.

This weekend the French and Italian circuits get going with a double country double header.

The decisive move took place on the descent of the Col de la Mure, 9km’s from the finish, when eight riders broke clear.

Thursday's Paris-Nice Stage 5 departs Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise at 12:00 CET (6:00am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Vernoux-en-Vivarais around 17:06 CET (11:06am U.S. Eastern).  Paris-Nice live streaming video should begin around 3:45pm CET (9:45am U.S. Eastern).

Thursday's Tirreno-Adriatico Stage 2 departs Carrara at 11:20 CET (5:20am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Indicatore at around 16:08 CET (10:08am U.S. Eastern).  Tirreno-Adriatico live video streaming should begin at around 15:00 CET (9am U.S. Eastern).

The 28 year-old recently took time to talk to PEZ about what he’s been up to these last few years.

Cafés are proliferating across the country, enhancing the “in the saddle” experience for everyone from urban riders and hard-core cyclists to weekend warriors and tourists.

Check out the video to see how the challenge went.

Maglia rosa is the Italian name for the iconic leader’s jersey at the Giro d’Italia and Herbie Sykes’ book is a detailed insight into the glory and history of Italian cycling. The book is published by Rouleur.

"The best new eyewear we’ve seen for a while"

The ride proceeds will benefit a trio of causes, including: the LIVESTRONG Foundation, World Bicycle Relief and the local Mt Bachelor Ski Education Foundation.

Omega Pharma-Lotto captain says he won't think about transfer possibilities until August.

Tim Krabbé’s novel De Renner is a classic of cycling literature. Known as “The Rider” in English, this is semi-autobiographical account of a race in the Lozère and Mont Aigoual. A first person account, it takes you into Krabbé’s mind as he battles to win the tough race. It’s impossible to find a bad review of this book.

Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre-ISD) said that the respiratory problems that delayed his start to the season were more serious than he had anticipated and that he feared his entire spring program would be ruined.

German sprinter hit the deck before team time trial.

Today's Quote:

"There’s a lot of talk of the next big ‘whoever,’ all I can say to that is that I am a completely different than any other rider. Everyone is different. I am going to do my best to be the best Taylor Phinney who’s ever ridden a bike." - Taylor Phinney VeloNews

Christian Vande Velde  isn’t going to tempt fate yet again and is steering clear of the Giro d’Italia this year as he prepares for a peak in form for the 2011 Tour de France.

Six bad habits you didn't know you had and how to change them.

"Good budget carbon all-rounders but not super-light"

The dream of the average frame builder is to be the torch set’s version of a one-man band. The fantasy most hold is one of days spent with the trade’s tools in hand. If not a torch, then a file. The reality is that what’s in hand is as often a phone, a pen or a mouse.

YehudaMoon: Big Plans.

There is in fact a controversy over the use of radios in professional cycling. I’ll do my best to explain what’s going on.

The wide tires greatly increase the range of roads we enjoy, while rolling faster than the stiffer tires we used to ride. And technical progress has brought us generator-powered LED headlights that make riding at night much more enjoyable. In the end, it’s all about the ride, not the bike.

Alberto Contador strongly defended himself against claims that his clenbuterol positive was triggered by a possible blood transfusion during the 2010 Tour de France.

Normally it is only the rider who is sanctioned but the call here is to include the teams involved.

" I feel I have been very loyal to Slipstream. For that to be turned into blackmail is horseshit. Why the hell would I advertise going to del Moral?"

In the five years I have been writing here I have seen huge strides made worldwide towards bicycle friendliness.

Sky Procycling rider to undergo hip replacement surgery.

In July of last year, I posted about the tragic murder of Tour L' Avenir winner Alfonso Florez, who was also the first Colombian to ever wear the polka dot jersey at the Tour de France.

Bontrager’s RXXXL Limited Edition Road shoe is clearly influenced by Mavic’s Huez, but the American company appear to have made good on the concept, and for about US$100 less than their French rivals.

Podium Cycling Jerseys.

Euro Pro Quality, American Service.

In this three-part article, Pavé will offer our picks of tacticians, breakaway artists, and late-attackers who might thrive under a radio ban.

A slight miscalculation, an error in timing, not fatal unless you were planning to win the fourth stage of Paris-Nice from Creches sur Saone to Belleville.

2011 Tirreno-Adriatico videos from multiple sources will be posted each day through the end of the race.

Stage 1 start time: Wednesday 14:55 CET (5:55 AM PST).
Earliest live video: 15:00 CET (6:00 AM PST).
Approximate finish: 16:10 CET (7:10 AM PST).

Stage 4 start time: Wednesday 12:20 CET (3:20 AM PST).
Earliest live video: 15:45 CET (6:45 AM PST).
Approximate finish: 17:06 CET (8:06 AM PST).

Tirreno-Adriatico, known as the Race of the Two Seas, kicks off today in Marina di Carrara. It's a warmer, more sprinter friendly pre-Classic prep race than Paris-Nice.

Thomas Voeckler showed off his French national champion’s jersey in the finale of stage 3 at Paris-Nice on Tuesday with a typically audacious attack.

Typically the phrase “cycling trade show” elicits images of sweetly shaped carbon components and high-end bike’s with almost unimaginable price tags. At Urban PressCamp, however, the emphasis had nothing to with Tour de France-worthy steeds, and everything to do with affordable — and sensible — two-wheeled transportation options.

At every criterium during a stage race the leading rider’s team rides a slow tempo at the front, riding the inside of the course and chopping/hooking the entire field every corner of every lap.

Crank Brothers  is being a little tight-lipped about their new product developments, but if you’ve been poking around the internet over the past couple weeks you might have stumbled over a couple of the super-secret-but-yet-to-be-released items.

Goss had rocketed into the yellow leader's jersey on stage three after avoiding several fallen riders and outsprinting Heinrich Haussler (Garmin-Cervelo) and Denis Galimzyanov (Katusha). Stage four was a different story however, with Goss forced to the back of the peloton with cramps.

Matt Goss  (HTC-Highroad) seems to be suddenly making headlines and is poised for yet bigger and better things following his dramatic victory in Tuesday’s sprint at Paris-Nice.

Russian coach Heiko Salzwedel puts it like this; ‘the sprints are more like time trial time trials now, but with another rider on the track, tactics don’t play as big a part anymore.’ Commonwealth Games sprint champion Shane Perkins  tells a similar story; ‘it’s very hard to wind it up from “cat and mouse” stuff so the sprint tends to open up earlier, to let riders get the big gear rolling.’

Evans Cycles  have unveiled their 2011 Pinnacle range, which will hit their 43 UK stores later this month. In total, there are 30 new bikes spread across nine model ranges, with plans to introduce more machines in coming months.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is encouraging strategies that promote more pedestrian and bicycle use on state highways that traverse urban areas.

The 2011 Bissell team training camp was an amazing success.

Many riders are marketable sports stars and like many a celebrity they have their dedicated websites. Some of these aren’t very exciting, often just a repository for images and results. Not to single him out, but Fabian Cancellara’s website isn’t a must read corner of the web.

Major race wins in March.

Inside the High-Octane and Lucrative World of Japan’s Cycling Spectacle.

Taylor Phinney is taking it slow in his rookie pro season and that’s just the way BMC wants it. The 21-year-old has been hampered by a knee injury and has only raced the Tour of Oman so far this year. Phinney has been recovering and BMC team officials told VeloNews on Wednesday that a decision will be made this weekend on his upcoming racing schedule.

The basics to boosting power are to train to push harder and train to push faster. Simple!

It seems as if the topic of metabolic efficiency has really gained some speed among the athletic community lately. Because of this, there are numerous interpretations that are being presented by non-health professionals or self-proclaimed “nutritionists”, some of which are not entirely accurate.

Ivan Basso is targeting overall success at Tirreno-Adriatico but has warned that Robert Gesink (Rabobank) could be the dark house of the race after his impressive victory at the Tour of Oman.

Recent focus on five-time Grand Tour winner's time trial position paid off in Murcia victory.

Japanese outfit Cherubim have brought some wild machines to NAHBS in past years and the 2011 edition was no different. Highlighting their booth was a red and chrome machine that Cherubim say is their vision of what a track bike could look like were it not for the restrictive UCI technical guidelines.

Belgian talent Thomas De Gendt  has impressed early on this season, finding his way into long brcareakaways that have been foiling sprinters from Australia to France. He showed glimmers of his potential last year, being one of a small handful of Topsport-Vlaanderen riders who scraped out admirable results against bigger teams and more experienced riders.

Jimmy Casper races a trotting horse over 500m in Amiens. This time the horse wins but it seems course played a big part with Casper struggling to get full traction.

When Avid first announced they were to release an updated, professional level bleed kit, I have to say that I was pretty excited.

"A classic, lightweight mountain bike saddle is reborn."

Leopard Trek leader says his form is better than in 2010.

YehudaMoon: It Was Good For His 'Bak'.