CyclingNews: US Cup wraps up with California state championships.

The official "end" to the California mountain bike season takes place this weekend, and offers racers two days of solid racing, a 50-mile West Coast marathon championship and a California state cross country championship.

The cross collective will focus all of their attention towards Gloucester, MA for two days of UCI racing in the heart of New England and Kalmthout, Belgium will host the last tune up race before the European season begins in earnest next weekend.

Cyclocross season is in full swing in the U.S., but one man from Massachusetts is easing into fall. Local boy Tim Johnson (Cannondale Cyclocrossworld.com) is among the main players at the Gran Prix of Gloucester this weekend, but is looking past October toward a rematch with the Koksijde, Belgium, course that beat him down in 2010.

"Because of how awesome you are – you’re clearly the most dominant CX rider in North America, and the only thing faster than you in the holeshot is Adam Myerson’s Twitter account  - we expected you to start the season off with a raft of victories, but it seems you’ve had a rough go of it over the past few weeks. So, how did we get to this point?"

Compared to a country where the top cyclocrossers can earn close to seven figures, it wasn’t the total prize purse of American races that caught the paper’s attention, but rather all the American fans handing out dollar bills.

Cross is a typical event in that it was invented (supposedly) by French and completely co-opted by Belgians. We do know that the French hosted a national CX championships in 1902, and Belgium was next in 1910. We also know that the sport's hallmarks are shitty conditions, wide tires, and beer.

Unlike FSA’s top line chainsets, the Team Issue has an alloy skeleton to which the carbon composite arms and spider are bonded. The axle is oversized to 24mm diameter and made of super tough and stiff chromoly. The outer finish is a unidirectional carbon with classy graphics that have proved hardwearing, as they’re applied underneath the final lacquer.

Defending champion Adam Blythe nets second, stagiaire Selig in third.

VeloNews: Cav’s helmet, mountain bike weight rules, those mysterious initials on the maillot jaune, and more.

Cyclocross world championship silver medalist Katie Compton gained a new teammate this week in Dutch world champion Marianne Vos. Compton (Rabobank-Giant Offroad) said she only heard about the move by Rabobank to back Vos in the news, and was not certain how the relationship would work in in the Dutch bank’s first year supporting an elite women’s cyclocross trade team.

Chris Sutton (Sky) sprinted to victory on stage two of the Tour de Wallonie Picarde in Poperinge on Friday. The Australian proved quickest in the bunch finish to fend off the challenge of Tom Veelers (Skil-Shimano) and Adrien Petit (Cofidis).

Scottish rider has said he’d like to ride London Games, but won’t himself appeal.

Look 695s in national flag color schemes. The 695 is Look's flagship road bike. It's a sub-900g high modulus carbon monocoque frame with an HSC 7 fork and an adjustable Zed 2 chainset.

Tiago Machado has confirmed that he will ride for the RadioShack-Nissan-Trek squad for the next two seasons. Like many of his RadioShack teammates, the Portuguese rider’s future was uncertain following the announcement that the team would merge with Leopard Trek ahead of the 2012 campaign.

The Aurumania 24 carat gold track bike is ready to order. As the company states: “In a world where product design often results in the insipidly ordinary, Aurumania demands the return of the wildly extravagant.”

Today's Quote

“I expect the reason he [Pat McQuaid] doesn’t want to sue me and I’m sure Lance Armstrong’s lawyers think the same thing, is because they don’t want to give me an opportunity to start exposing things. Then I get to subpoena people and depose them. There’s also the fact that I’m telling the truth, which is another problem for him." - Floyd Landis CyclingNews

CyclingNews: Change is in the works for UCI mountain bike disciplines.

Change is in the air. The UCI has been shifting its support among existing and emerging mountain bike racing disciplines. For 2012, four cross is out of the World Cup while cross country eliminators are in - at least for some rounds, and the UCI has established a "world series" of marathon races. The organization is also looking at building a gravity endurance series for 2013.

In the third part of our ongoing series addressing some of the key issues in the revenue sharing debate we bring the story of the Amaury family up to the current era and consider the Amaury Empire’s matriarach, Marie-Odile Amaury, and the role she played in bringing an end to the ProTour Wars.

Sprinters, lead out guys with a track pursuit background, you name it this is certainly a squad that should make an impact early in the season. Just look at today, Chris Sutton has won Stage 2 of the Tour de Wallonie-Picardie whilst yesterday’s winner was Robbie McEwen. Both will be wearing green next year. And today Lithuanian sprinter Aidis Kruopis said he’s joining too.

Slovenian rider should get more opportunities with Kazakh squad.

Whether they're handing out freebies, using their feminine wiles to lure punters onto their stand or – occasionally – actually work day-to-day for the company in question, 'booth babes' have become a bit of an Interbike institution.

With Interbike in the rear view mirror, America’s velo populace has visions of electronic derailleurs dancing in its collective head. We’ve seen what’s coming (assuming it ever gets to market) and we want it.

Oscar Freire (Rabobank) has admitted that he was surprised by Mark Cavendish’s victory at the UCI World Championships road race in Copenhagen last week but he paid tribute to his ability to repeatedly finish off the work of his team. The Spaniard also called for the rules regarding riders who finish outside the time limit at the Tour de France to be revised.

The champion of the 2011 Corruption Olympics was crowned today, but much to the disappointment of the Union Cycliste International (UCI), the gold medal went to Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

This jersey seems to violate the UCI regulations in at least seven areas.

Defending champion Adam Blythe nets second, stagiaire Selig in third.

VeloNews: Cav’s helmet, mountain bike weight rules, those mysterious initials on the maillot jaune, and more.

Cav as well as many others, particularly those on Team Sky, rode in helmets with covers. They are indeed for aerodynamics and Team Sky has used them in cooler races throughout the season. What baffles me about them is whether or not they are actually legal.

"Teams rising, folding, combining, and trading riders around on annual contracts makes it difficult for die-hard cycling fans to commit themselves to one team. On the other hand, we were born with a predetermined national team. Spectators and riders bring vibrant team pride to world championship events."

World time trial champion Tony Martin will unveil his rainbow jersey in the Tour of Beijing next week. The HTC-Highroad rider will be the favourite to win the opening 11.3 kilometre time trial. The first Tour of Beijing runs from October 5 to 9, and Martin will be at the head of what he calls a “strong team”.

The man with the most musical name in cycling, Igor Gonzales de Galdeano is gone. Citing personal reasons and the need for a new challenge, the Euskatel-Euskadi DS is stepping down. He’s had enough orange, thanks.

"When I review a bike, I tend to hit the “road feel” aspect of a bike’s ride pretty hard. I’ve done it enough and gotten enough subsequent questions about just what I mean and what I value that it seems high time I spend devoted some pixels just to the subject of road feel."

Pro racer Adam McGrath has gone from international racer to local farmer in the past year, though he hasn’t hung up his bikes just yet. He’ll be chronicling his new set of experiences in his new column for Cyclocross Magazine, “For Mud, Beer, Bikes and Barns.”

The rich irony is that the world is upside down: China races to see how many cars they can out on the road while back in the USA people try to figure out how to get people out of cars before it’s too late.

The newly-minted Competitive Cyclist team announced today the acquisition of Max Jenkins, 26, from UnitedHealthCare and Chad Beyer, 25, from BMC. The two riders will join Spaniard Francisco 'Paco' Mancebo on the team, currently known as RealCyclist.com.

Peloton Magazine has just introduced Mr. H (for Hematocrit), a helmet-masked pro who, in Top Gear vein, anonymously flogs road bikes in an attempt to see what the fastest road bike is. Now, if they could just secure a single bike for the year and start getting cycling celebrities to pit their safety against the clock for bragging rights. That, my friends, would be awe. some.

The strength of the Swiss Franc, one of the world’s last hard currencies, has been a headache for the UCI. Many of its costs are in Swiss Francs but many revenues come in Euros and US dollars. This has led to an unfavourable move in the cost-revenue ratio and has prompted financial losses of over a million francs.

Rider reserves judgement over allegations her husband ordered EPO.

Tiso, an Italian bicycle component manufacturer that’s represented by Albabici here in the states, had quite the gawker piece laying around: A prototype 12-speed electronic drivetrain that will be wireless when it debuts!

Swiss Art Director and currently Paris based Designer Juri Zaech turns frames into names with his “typography” bikes for design minded people. The concept is to bent the frame to form the letters.

Two-time World Champion and two-time Belgian National Champion Bart Wellens and his Telenet-Fidea teammate Rob Peeters came to the United States to open their cross season. The goal was multi-fold, to gain early season fitness, capture UCI points and to check out the racing before the 2013 World Championships to be held in Louisville, KY. The goals were achieved but they also learned about the reality of UCI racing in North America.

The HeadsUp System is a wireless device that sends a signal to drivers as they approach their garages, reminding them if they have bikes, kayaks, etc., mounted on top of  their cars.

Singaporean sensation Christina Liew.

A 15-year-old boy was charged Sunday with larceny and trespassing after he walked into Sears, used the store’s tools to fix his bike and then left.

The champion of the 2011 Corruption Olympics was crowned today, but much to the disappointment of the Union Cycliste International (UCI), the gold medal went to Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

This jersey seems to violate the UCI regulations in at least seven areas.

State route of 2012’s stage 20 was conceived after fans’ social media access.

Today's Quote

“I expect the reason he [Pat McQuaid] doesn’t want to sue me and I’m sure Lance Armstrong’s lawyers think the same thing, is because they don’t want to give me an opportunity to start exposing things. Then I get to subpoena people and depose them. There’s also the fact that I’m telling the truth, which is another problem for him." - Floyd Landis CyclingNews

Nevada will become the 19th state on Saturday to require that motorists give bicyclists at least 3 feet of space when passing.

London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and Dublin are among the most car dependent in Europe. The four capital cities of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom plus Dublin in the Republic of Ireland are among the worst of 13 major European cities surveyed by the Campaign for Better Transport Car for its Car Dependency Scorecard 2011. Only Rome, in 13th position, was found to have more reliance on the motor car.

Having talked his way into co-ownership of the Tour de France in 1947, Émillien Amaury put one of his own men inside the Tour to watch over his interests. That man was Félix Lévitan, the editor of Le Parisien Libéré‘s sports pages.

Campag applies the same construction techniques to the Centaur as it does to its flagship series, minus the Ultra-Torque BB system. The full carbon Centaur cranks have a multi-directional carbon fibre core with uni-directional weave, bonded to a Power-Torque chromoly axle.

If you've ever gone into a bike shop thinking 'I desperately need a branded bike that allows me to put a tablet sideways between my legs' then this will definitely be the ultimate accessory for you.

It’s been almost five months since the UCI issued a press release in which it stated that it would sue Floyd Landis. However, the former professional has not had any communication with either the governing body or its Swiss layers, suggesting that the case could fail to materialise.

U.S.-based Felt Bicycles announced last week that it would supply bikes for the team next season.

Tough job interview: according to an unconfirmed source Brian Nygaard’s interview for GreenEdge was both grueling and unorthodox. Apparently, the former Leopard team manager was asked to sing a medley of popular Australian rock and pop songs as part of the interview process.

Niner Bikes have updated their singlespeed One 9 29er for 2012, with a new frame material the major change. The scandium used on the previous version has been ditched in favour of hydroformed aluminium, which is said to produce a lighter, tougher frame (a claimed 70g, depending on size and finish).

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has tweaked the 2012 WorldTour calendar to avoid a clash with the road events at the London Olympic Games.

The second weekend of Southern California Prestige Series presented by Spy Optic hit Camarillo, CA with the Pacifica Crossfest.

For reasons unknown, this past Sunday, The New York Times ran a story on crashes in pro racing.  It’s something I’ve been thinking about since this year’s Tour ended. Mostly because the reasons that most proffer don’t really explain what’s going on.

The UCI might declare the sport to be in a “golden age” but I see otherwise. Sponsors are staying away from the sport and teams are increasingly reliant on wealthy benefactors for funding. There’s nothing wrong with the sugar-daddy approach but it substitutes corporate sponsorship; many companies might find their audience demographic of cycling is ideal for them but right now they are watching instead of investing.

Continental claimed that Tony Martin, 2011′s World Champion, had achieved his decisive win on their new Grand Prix TT clincher. A Worlds win on a clincher, let alone the time trial seemed a little far fetched.

Team hoping to leave the peloton on a high note in final races.

Twenty minutes on a turbo trainer can make a big difference to your bike fitness.

This year, the course was shorter – 50 miles – and the gravel sections were perhaps a bit too smooth to really test the durability of the bikes. Even so, it was clear that the builders have made improvements since the last event.

"When Lee Waldman approached me (Molly) about doing a “conversation” column together, I immediately thought it was a great idea. After all, he lives across the country from me, we have a large age gap (sorry, Lee!) and of course, a different view when it comes to discussing gender and racing."

52-year-old multiple champion claims that she was informed after l’Equipe was; was not part of random testing pool anyway.

A surprising new approach to losing weight and keeping it off—and riding longer and stronger than ever.

The 2012 Tour de France hasn’t been announced but the blogosphere has a good take on the route already. Whilst rumours circulate it seems several reports are confirming that the first mountain stage will feature the Grand Colombier climb in the Alps.

The inaugural Tour of Beijing will be taking place next week. It is the UCI's crown jewel of the globalization of cycling which has been UCI President Pat McQuaid's priority since becoming president in 2005. Alain Rumpf is the Director of the Global Cycling Promotion who is in charge of these efforts.

Today's Quote

“I expect the reason he [Pat McQuaid] doesn’t want to sue me and I’m sure Lance Armstrong’s lawyers think the same thing, is because they don’t want to give me an opportunity to start exposing things. Then I get to subpoena people and depose them. There’s also the fact that I’m telling the truth, which is another problem for him." - Floyd Landis CyclingNews

Former Tour de France yellow jersey to leave post at the end of the year for “new challenges.”

Spin stronger by choosing the best breakfast.

Eddy Merckx was the best bike racer ever – we know a certain Mr Armstrong has a decent palmares but the ‘Cannibal’ would have eaten him for breakfast – and he's had a successful post-riding career with an eponymous bike brand.

While there had been speculation that the still-unresolved case of 2010 Tour de France champion Alberto Contador might cause WADA to impose a threshold limit for clenbuterol, the agency did not make any changes to the rules for this substance.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has tweaked the 2012 WorldTour calendar to avoid a clash with the road events at the London Olympic Games.

The second weekend of Southern California Prestige Series presented by Spy Optic hit Camarillo, CA with the Pacifica Crossfest.

For reasons unknown, this past Sunday, The New York Times ran a story on crashes in pro racing.  It’s something I’ve been thinking about since this year’s Tour ended. Mostly because the reasons that most proffer don’t really explain what’s going on.

Strong field for end of season Classic.

Handlebars are being placed lower and lower these past half century.

CrankBrothers' new Mallet in commemorative Interbike 2011 colourway.

Today's Quote

“Levi is so in tune with his body and he gives such great information. He’s so disciplined, he’s so meticulous, that it’s almost tragic, right? Because it prevents him from doing all these other things that he knows will screw up his performance, like staying up late, being a regular person.” - Allen Lim TwistedSpoke

"Every good bike rider needs to develop a sixth sense for wind. It's the most important thing you need to keep track of when riding in a bunch. You have to love it, embrace it, and make it work for you otherwise you won't be in this sport for very long."

The power for the light will come from a battery mounted in the steerer tube, and the port to charge the battery will be in the top cap.  That same power source can also power a Di2 set up, and has a USB dongle for charging up your gadgets should it be needed.

52-year-old multiple champion claims that she was informed after l’Equipe was; was not part of random testing pool anyway.

“The crash happened in the front of the peloton. At first, I thought I would be able to avoid hitting the asphalt, but riders came sliding in from behind and took me down. I immediately felt a harsh pain in my right hand and had to abandon the race.”

"We like great great, cool, unexpected, trendsetting, odd ball design. We also like cheap."

Clever use of materials and smart design make Fizik’s latest range of saddles, dubbed Kurve, comfortable for long rides. But comfort via technology doesn’t come cheap. The key feature of the design is a flexible composite base, in place of the usual rigid plastic. The idea is to allow the saddle to move as you pedal and to shift shock absorption from the padding to the hull.

Eddy Merckx will get a first-hand look at the parcours for the 2012 Santos Tour Down Under when the cycling legend gets back on the bike for the official recreational ride of the UCI ProTour event, the Bupa Challenge Tour.

Vicodin, that’s the feeling. Once we threw on the Ritchey Pro Carbon Evo bars, life on the bike suddenly got more comfortable, relaxed and maybe even  blissed out — at least according to our hands.

A surprising new approach to losing weight and keeping it off—and riding longer and stronger than ever.

Faster aims to be the world’s most comprehensive cycling performance center, affordably providing services normally accessible only to elite professional athletes. In addition to the in-house wind tunnel, which simulates wind speeds up to 50 mph, Faster also has 3D bike fitting, a boutique retail showroom, recovery services, nutritional consultation, educational facilities, physical therapy, chiropractic services and performance testing. Cervélo, Scott and Guru are its main bike lines.

While there had been speculation that the still-unresolved case of 2010 Tour de France champion Alberto Contador might cause WADA to impose a threshold limit for clenbuterol, the agency did not make any changes to the rules for this substance.

Pat McQuaid has told Cyclingnews that the lack of new passport cases opened by the UCI in the last 18 months has nothing to do with financial costs or legal bills caused by the first batch of cases. The UCI President has also warned riders against using micro-dosing techniques, insisting they will eventually be caught.

British rider wants to win the Tour de France and Olympic gold in 2012.

On the surface, there’s not much similarity between Mark Cavendish, who became cycling’s supreme world champion on Sunday, and Tom Simpson, the only other British rider to win the elite men’s world road title, 46 years ago.

Announcement due soon on which team he will join.

25 year old becomes latest Australian signing for aspiring UCI ProTeam.

Let’s be honest: most of us would love to roll around on carbon hoops every day, if not for the various impracticalities doing so would provoke. They’re light, sprightly, and look damn cool — the latter being more important that we’d care to admit.

Oscar “Baby Face” Sevilla gets a six month suspension for his Hydroxyethyl Starch (HES) positive from last year’s Vuelta a Colombia. That almost qualifies as a speedy verdict for the Spanish Cycling Protection Federation.

So, Mark Cavendish is now the road racing World Champion. Those who love to hate Cavendish might have a sour taste in their mouths, but as Fabian Cancellara pointed out in a post-race interview, it was a sprinter’s course, and the fastest sprinter in the world won the race. That is appropriate in its own way.

Zdeněk Štybar (Quick Step) and Hanka Kupfernagel (Stevens) showed their World Champion pedigree by taking commanding wins at the 2011 Baden Supercross in Switzerland.

A crash with six laps left to go cost Thor Hushovd the chance to repeat his 2010 victory in the UCI World Championships road race. After the race, the Norwegian criticized his team's tactics, saying the two-captain strategy worked to his disadvantage.

Matt White declared Australia's silver medal in the men's Worlds road race a success and backed his call to leave Mark Renshaw at home. Matt Goss won silver behind Mark Cavendish (Great Britain) and the result secured Australia's third medal in three years in the men's race.

"Pakistan, Northwest Frontier Province, Himalayas. It was not the first place that popped to mind when it came to cycling, and racing. But when a friend called me a few months ago and asked if I was interested in riding, and racing in Pakistan, I leapt at the chance."

He crashed while training in the Alps, suffered head injuries and was in a coma for several days. He returned to racing over a year later in the 2008 Tour of Missouri, then won stage two of the 2009 Tour of Britain and held yellow for several days. He finished fourth overall and seemed to be back on track.

Dutch bank wants to build team around World silver medallist to ensure Olympic success.

For a brief moment in the Worlds on Sunday Iranian rider Hossein Askari jumped away from the bunch. This might be the first time you’ve seen an Iranian cyclist competing at the top level. But the Iranians have a strong team and the Tabriz Petrochemical Cycling Team is second only to HTC-Highroad in the number of wins this year.

Sore heads and missed flights this morning as British team hits Copenhagen to celebrate Cav's rainbow jersey.

Italian national coach Paolo Bettini has come under pressure at home after his riders failed to work together in the hectic sprint that decided the elite men road race and ended with Mark Cavendish pulling on the rainbow jersey.

The Zero100 ‘Servizio Corse’ stem is great, being both low in weight and yet as stiff as a stiff thing, but the bar is a little odd when it comes to flexing: when you’re on the drops it feels a little springy, but on the hoods it feels great.

Today's Quote

“Levi is so in tune with his body and he gives such great information. He’s so disciplined, he’s so meticulous, that it’s almost tragic, right? Because it prevents him from doing all these other things that he knows will screw up his performance, like staying up late, being a regular person.” - Allen Lim TwistedSpoke

Nick Craig (Scott UK) won Sunday's 49th edition of the Three Peaks Cyclo-Cross with Louise Robinson (Stourbridge CC) taking the women's crown.

Not all races offer the same amount of UCI points. Races are categorized by prestige, history, and prize money.

The very first Tour of Britain and the original fiberglass bicycle; it's all here...

Janez Brajkovic’s time under Johan Bruyneel's tutelage is set to end very soon, with the Slovenian rider confirming to Cyclingnews that he will be leaving the RadioShack team at the end of the season.

You can be the fittest person in your race or group ride but do very poorly if you aren't thinking clearly while out there. That means exploiting the group dynamic in your favor.

The decision to ban marathon times set by women in mixed races shows they've got too good – and they're paying for it.

After dismissing Weylandt’s fatal crash as part of cycling, neither the International Cycling Union, the sport’s governing body, nor the organizer of the Giro has conducted a formal investigation. The police inquiry focused on criminal liability and found none.

Feillu sixth, Ravard thirteenth for Jalabert’s squad.

“We knew three years ago when this course was announced, that it could be good for us. We put a plan together to come with the best group of guys to this race and to come away from it with the rainbow jersey,” said Cavendish. ”It’s been three years in the making.”

Sunday's Day 6 of the 2011 UCI Road World Championships at Copenhagen, Denmark gets underway with the Elite Men Road Race (266km) at 10:00am CET (4:00am U.S. Eastern). The race is scheduled to finish at approximately 5:00pm CET (11:00am U.S. Eastern). UCI Road World Championships live video streaming should get underway at around 10:00am CET (4:00am U.S. Eastern).

Keep track of who has won what.

road.cc: First look - #Simonstrong bike inspired by Simon Richardson to inspire Simon Richardson.

The world's first bike with a paint job crowd sourced from Twitter.

Two gold, two silver and two bronze medals for Britons, ahead of Australia and France.

Deja vu all over again at the opener of the Exergy US Gran Prix of Cyclocross when Katerina Nash (Luna) powered away from the field on the second lap at day one of Planet Bike Cup. It wasn’t a concerted attack by the rider, just engaging her engine as she rode smoothly even when the rain opened for one lap.

Trebon and Powers took turns at the front, trading blows while Wellens stayed at the back, sometimes a few bike lengths off. Powers would use his skills to bunny-hop the barriers and ride the runup, successfully four out of six times while Trebon took over on the straights.

Van den Brand gives Netherlands top two finish ahead of Britain's Harris.

“It’s a field sprint for a world championships, it’s going to be chaotic. I just didn’t ride it as well as I could have,” Farrar told VeloNews. “Taylor (Phinney) moved me up with 2.5km to go, I was trying to find the wheels on my own.

Today's Quote

“Levi is so in tune with his body and he gives such great information. He’s so disciplined, he’s so meticulous, that it’s almost tragic, right? Because it prevents him from doing all these other things that he knows will screw up his performance, like staying up late, being a regular person.” - Allen Lim TwistedSpoke

"I've always maintained those guys are my friends and that's not going to change," he said. "To be honest, I'm totally immune to any controversy... I've been listening to this stuff for 15 years."

The fight against doping is bearing fruit and the sport's culture has been dramatically changing, the International Cycling Union president believes.

The World Championship Road Race - everybody wants to know who will win. What, you haven’t figured that out already? Okay, Twisted Spoke is ready to call this race because we’re experts and it’s our job to help the infirm.

Giorgia Bronzini (Italy) defended her rainbow jersey while Marianne Vos (Holland) finished runner-up for the fifth time in a row Saturday in a heated women’s race at the world road cycling championships.

Pierre-Henri Lecuisinier gave France another gold medal and another rainbow jersey in the junior men’s road race after sprinting away from the remnants of a successful break to beat Belgium’s Martijn Degreve and the Netherlands’s Steven Lammertink into second and third respectively.

Saturday's Day 5 of the 2011 UCI Road World Championships at Copenhagen, Denmark gets underway with the Junior Men Road Race (126km) at 9:00am CET (3:00am U.S. Eastern). The Elite Women Road Race (140km) is scheduled to begin at 1:30pm CET (7:30am U.S. Eastern). UCI Road World Championships live video streaming should get underway at around 9:00am CET (3:00am U.S. Eastern).

Famous as the symbol of the world champion, cycling’s rainbow jersey was first introduced in 1927 when the inaugural world championships were organised in Germany. The winner was Italian Alfredo Binda.

This year’s World Championship is expected to be one for the sprinters. A flat course in Copenhagen practically guarantees it. But after many of the sport’s top sprinters have suffered through injury-plagued seasons, is anyone left standing to take advantage of the course? And given that many of the more veteran sprinters seem to be performing below form, could a youngster win outright?

World number one out to exorcise the demon of four successive silver medals.

CyclingNews: UCI Road World Championships 2011, U23 Men road race.

Van den Brand gives Netherlands top two finish ahead of Britain's Harris.

The 2011 Fidea Cyclocross Classics - Neerpelt is today. Live streaming video: 2:00pm CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern).

Today's Quote

“Levi is so in tune with his body and he gives such great information. He’s so disciplined, he’s so meticulous, that it’s almost tragic, right? Because it prevents him from doing all these other things that he knows will screw up his performance, like staying up late, being a regular person.” - Allen Lim TwistedSpoke

As expected, they're fairly light at around 300g per pair with stainless steel spindles – the eventual titanium version will shed another 34g – and pretty reasonably priced at US$215 a set when they land in stores this coming January.

Keep track of who has won what.

"I’m more interested in the Worlds right now but with allegations in the Corriere della Sera involving the notion of undeclared revenues and money being transferred around Europe, here’s quick mention of the subject of image rights."

The World Championship Road Race - everybody wants to know who will win. What, you haven’t figured that out already? Okay, Twisted Spoke is ready to call this race because we’re experts and it’s our job to help the infirm.

Says camper van was used as a means to avoid media.

It’s hard to get the weather forecast right sometimes so predicting the results a 266km race is a lot harder. Nevertheless, for the fun of it here are some thoughts for Sunday’s elite men’s road world championships, starting with some scenario analysis and then a run through of the favorites.

Bradley Wiggins believes victory for Mark Cavendish at the UCI World Championship road race on Sunday would be the best of the Manxman's career, although he warned the race would be war for the peloton.

Quick Step manager wants the road title to add to the time trial, although he only has three riders in the race.

Briton speaks about the difficulty of backing a GC contender and a sprinter in the same team.

Famous as the symbol of the world champion, cycling’s rainbow jersey was first introduced in 1927 when the inaugural world championships were organised in Germany. The winner was Italian Alfredo Binda.

This year’s World Championship is expected to be one for the sprinters. A flat course in Copenhagen practically guarantees it. But after many of the sport’s top sprinters have suffered through injury-plagued seasons, is anyone left standing to take advantage of the course? And given that many of the more veteran sprinters seem to be performing below form, could a youngster win outright?

World number one out to exorcise the demon of four successive silver medals.

CyclingNews: UCI Road World Championships 2011, U23 Men road race.

The World Championships for the Under 23 Men could not have been a more open race with constant attacks all around the course. It was impossible to guess who would win this one as no country could dominate the action. Breaks would come and go and then in the end it all came to a sprint. Will all the races finish this way? It’s looking probable!

Lucy Garner of Great Britain sprinted away from the field to claim the junior women’s road race title at the UCI World Championships. She beat Jessy Druyts of Belgium and Christine Siggaard of Denmark.

Friday's Day 4 of the 2011 UCI Road World Championships at Copenhagen, Denmark gets underway with the Junior Women Road Race (70km) at 9:30am CET (3:30am U.S. Eastern). The Under 23 Men Road Race (168km) is scheduled to begin at 1:00pm CET (7:00am U.S. Eastern). UCI Road World Championships live video streaming should get underway at around 9:30am CET (3:30am U.S. Eastern).

Current World Champion Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) has said that although the course in Copenhagen may suit him, the field is among the most open he can recall and that it will be very hard for his team to control the race on Sunday.

A surefire way to become a better cyclist is to mix it up with faster riders. Here's a survival guide for getting in over your head.

"We looked at past performances as an indication of what it takes to win and came up with some criteria for winning the World Championships. Last year, “The Numbers” (with a bit of massaging) predicted that Thor Hushovd would win. This year is a little harder to predict, with the Vuelta ending a little earlier, World’s being held over a week earlier, and a number of the favorites thrown off due to injuries in the Vuelta. With a course that everyone is saying favors the sprinters, it’s tough to use basic statistics and expect them to mean anything – but we’ll try nevertheless."

"I’m more interested in the Worlds right now but with allegations in the Corriere della Sera involving the notion of undeclared revenues and money being transferred around Europe, here’s quick mention of the subject of image rights."

Rick Zabel hopes to accomplish something at the start of his career that his father Erik didn't accomplish in his 16 years as a professional – a world championship title.  The younger Zabel will make his Worlds debut on Saturday in the junior road race at the UCI World Championships.

New wheelsets, computers and a budget power meter are on the way too.

Keep track of who has won what.

The UCI has axed four cross from the Mountain Bike World Cup calendar, effective immediately. In a Management Committee meeting held at the Road World Championships in Copenhagen, they also made several significant changes affecting the highest level of cross-country and gravity mountain bike competition in 2012 and confirmed the World Cup will return to Windham, New York next year.

"Small, super-light and reliable, but not cheap. If you’re building a ‘for racing only’ kit, this is the one for you."

Money laundering and doping accusations made against prominent riders.

Quick Step manager wants the road title to add to the time trial, although he only has three riders in the race.

Briton speaks about the difficulty of backing a GC contender and a sprinter in the same team.

Today's Quote

“Levi is so in tune with his body and he gives such great information. He’s so disciplined, he’s so meticulous, that it’s almost tragic, right? Because it prevents him from doing all these other things that he knows will screw up his performance, like staying up late, being a regular person.” - Allen Lim TwistedSpoke

"A world championship time trial on clinchers you ask? That’s right, Tony Martin won his rainbow jersey using a HED Jet 9 FR front clincher and Jet Stallion FR disc on the rear (the ‘Stallion’ build means its a 28 spoke disc build, making it very stiff). I believe Judith Arndt won her World title using this same clincher rear disc."

There's a lot more to know about this popular pick-me-up than how to order a proper doppio. Consider these six stimulating truths.

Momentum Sports Group (MSG), owners and operators of UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling, has added horsepower to its roster by signing ProTeam riders Jason McCartney and Philip Deignan from RadioShack, and Jeff Louder from BMC Racing as well as domestic riders Ben Day from Kenda/5-hour Energy and Jay Thomson from Bissell. The second year UCI Professional Continental outfit will put a greater emphasis on international racing while maintaining its focus on performing well at the Tour of California, Tour of Utah and USA Pro Cycling Challenge in 2012.

BikingBis: Two bike recalls -- 14,200 from Specialized and 91,000 from Wal-Mart distributor.

When you talk to sports physiologists like Allen Lim, Inigo San Millan of UnitedHealthcare and Robbie Ketchell of Garmin-Cervelo, one thing they’ll tell you is they like working with American riders because of the open-ness to new ideas, the science of performance.

These seven underrated foods do more than fill space in the salad bowl.

Yes, it's a course to favour sprinters, but it's not Zolder - think more GP Plouay with short snaps, long drags and a technical urban/rural mix. The 'barodeurs' won't be sitting waiting on Cav tightening his shoe straps. And Mark Cavendish (HTC & GB) is the man who should be favourite - but he didn't finish the Vuelta. Those three weeks of suffering are fundamental to a rider's physical and mental preparation for the Worlds.

"The World's TT is unusual in that it's usually done in laps, and thus has a lot of intermediate splits.  This, naturally, inspires me to play around with spreadsheets."

Police in Luxembourg have searched the house and offices of Flavo Becca, the financier behind Team Leopard Trek. The searches are thought to be related to an ongoing tax investigation and it was not clear whether the team was in any way involved.

Vuelta a España runner-up Chris Froome (Team Sky) will saddle up for the Langkawi International Mountain Bike Challenge next month. Currently competing with the British team in the road world championship in Copenhagen, Froome is looking forward to swapping his road bike for some off-road action on the island of Langkawi from October 17 to 23, 2011.

Many pro riders have bicycles of their own, but they won’t get to ride them too much during the season. They have to use team bikes in both racing and training on the road. It’s a contractual requirement.

The Worlds are such a watershed moment each year, like no other race really. Thanks to the awarding of a jersey to be worn for the next 12 months, as well as their position near the end of the current season, they very neatly divide the campaign of the reigning world champion from his or her successor.

A San Diego bike company named Virtue is putting out a single speed and a 6 speed that are both under $300. Possible, misprint, attention getting fabrication?

Money laundering and doping accusations made against prominent riders.

Bjarne Riis is willing to forgive and forget, and indicated he would be willing to talk again to Fabian Cancellara, who left his team after the 2010 season. He also said that while Jakob Fuglsang would fit in well at Saxo Bank-Sungard, he was not interested in talking to riders who had valid contracts with other teams.

We may have to wait a week or so before we find out precisely what steps, if any, the World Anti-Doping Agency has taken regarding clenbuterol.

"Chris Mayhew of JBV Coaching, was very nice and took time during one of the breaks to give me some very specific tips and guidance on how to tackle the sand with more confidence. I’m already looking forward to several local races where I know I’ll be able to put his advice to good use."

On a crisp, fall evening in St. Louis, MO, a collection of top domestic and international cyclocross racers took to a twisting and technical course in Heman Park to contest the third round of the newly minted Cross After Dark series.

Ryan Trebon  takes top honors, largely due to his choice to go head to head with Bart Wellens at StarCrossed. He came in second but it’s clear he’s coming out swinging this season.

BikingBis: Two bike recalls -- 14,200 from Specialized and 91,000 from Wal-Mart distributor.

When you talk to sports physiologists like Allen Lim, Inigo San Millan of UnitedHealthcare and Robbie Ketchell of Garmin-Cervelo, one thing they’ll tell you is they like working with American riders because of the open-ness to new ideas, the science of performance.

BSNYC: Hold the Mayo - Good Times, Bad Times.

On the bike, we confront our limits. We push ourselves out to the edge of what we think we’re capable of, find trap doors, move on into undreamed of places. We do super human things.

Says his results are important for the Astana team.

Today's Quote

“I am an aiming for a top-10, top-5, maybe a podium. If it’s a great day, we’ll see. Last year, I came into the worlds as a huge, hot favorite for the U23 race. Now I am in this certain underdog, no-pressure, young-gun, let’s-see-what-he-can-do type of scenario.” - Taylor Phinney VeloNews

Modeled after the very popular Speedplay Zero road pedals, the Syzr offers adjustable float adjustment as well as tension adjustment for release and entry.

Ford Motor Co has unveiled a concept e-bike that’s run off the Android mobile operating system. Commanded by a Samsung Galaxy S II that controls the suspension and monitors the battery charge. The electric motor is inside the front hub (front wheel drive!?!) and powered by a 9.2Ah battery. Or, you can just pedal it.

These seven underrated foods do more than fill space in the salad bowl.

Though it was a done deal for quite a few weeks, it is now official, Francisco Mancebo (RealCyclist.com) and Janel Holcomb (Colavita/Forno d’Asolo)  claim the USA Cycling NRC Individual Standings for the 2011 season. In the team classifications, BISSELL Pro Cycling and Colavita/Forno d’Asolo took the honors.

The kid above is the surprise winner of the junior men's race, dane Mads Wurtz Schmidt who most likely had the day of his life so far. Winning at home and receiving the cheers of a packed Rådhustorvet, at age 17, is something he isn't likely to forget. The atmosphere at the prizeceremony was electric. Good on you kid, you just saved the event for the host-nation.

Today's Quote

“I am an aiming for a top-10, top-5, maybe a podium. If it’s a great day, we’ll see. Last year, I came into the worlds as a huge, hot favorite for the U23 race. Now I am in this certain underdog, no-pressure, young-gun, let’s-see-what-he-can-do type of scenario.” - Taylor Phinney VeloNews

Judith Arndt (Germany) powered to victory in the elite women's time trial at the UCI World Championships thanks to a scintillating performance over the second lap of the rain-soaked Copenhagen circuit. The German ultimately had 22 seconds to spare over Linda Villumsen (New Zealand), with defending champion Emma Pooley (Great Britain) a further two seconds back in third.

Mads Wurtz Schmidt (Denmark) produced a sensational ride to win gold in the junior men time trial at the UCI Road World Championships. The Dane set the fastest time at all the intermediate splits, finishing in a time of 35:07.68.

It was the look on Tony Martin's face before the start which told you that he was going to win the Grenoble time trial in this year's Tour de France. The focus, the sheer iron will - and then there was the attention to detail.

The trick to eating right is knowing how to make any food work for you, not against you.

Believes joining of RadioShack and Leopard Trek is bad for the sport.

With Dave Zabriskie and Levi Leipheimer staying home, two rookies will carry U.S. hopes into Wednesday’s world championship time trial on a flat power course where wind and rain could prove decisive.

“Philippe is quite simply the best in the world, and we should all be afraid of him,” said Spain’s Oscar Freire.

Tuesday's Day 2 of the 2011 UCI Road World Championships at Copenhagen, Denmark gets underway with the Junior Men Time Trial (27.8km) at 9:30am CET (3:30am U.S. Eastern). The Elite Women Time Trial (27.8km) will start at 2:00pm CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern). UCI Road World Championships live video streaming should get underway at around 9:30am CET (3:30am U.S. Eastern) for the Junior Men's TT and at around 2:00pm CET (8:00am U.S. Eastern) for the Elite Women TT.

Californian bike builder to continue work with Formula 1 team’s Applied Technologies division.

Spaniard will ride Gran Fondo run by Tour de France organisers.

How the latest in cycling science can make you faster, stronger, and more comfortable on your bike.

"How long after that I will need to rehabilitate is pure guesswork. Before I can ride a bike, I will need to learn how to walk. I hope I can make next season's start."

BSNYC: Gimme Gimme Gimme! More Avarice, Please.

Fox Racing Shox showed off a prototype electronic suspension set up dubbed iRD (intelligent Ride Dynamics). In a nutshell, it uses an electronic shock pump that transmits air pressure, compression and rebound data wirelessly to your iPhone (or iPod Touch or iPad) via Bluetooth or to your Garmin via ANT+.

Mark Cavendish has signed a deal for sports agents the Wasserman Group to represent him and to mark the moment there’s been a press release to announce the deal.

With riders making public criticisms of the way this has been handled and ongoing silence about the roster, things haven’t started well. Giving out the wrong name has to be embarrassing too. And all this before a pedal has been turned. It’s a bit like crashing off the start ramp in time trial.

Sitting here in the biggest ‘normal’ sized house in the beautiful suburbs of Baltimore, looking out onto parkland and a ‘studio’ at the bottom of the garden which is larger than our Belgian home. I’m definitely very happy that I’ve started my cross season here in America.

Is it common to have to use a whole chain and part of another to replace a worn chain?

I saw a great number of items I was very excited to get on and ride. The new Zipp 303 topped my list. But before I get into that I need to make a disclosure: I wrote this year’s Zipp catalog.

St. Louis hosts third round of Cross After Dark series.

Britain's Elinor Barker celebrates her second place in the junior women's time trial.

Top favourite Luke Durbridge of Australia lived up to his pre-race status and stormed his way to victory in the under 23 men's time trial world championship.

Jessica Allen (Australia) won Australia’s first title at the UCI World Championships in Copenhagen, snatching the women’s Junior time trial from Elinor Barker (Great Britain).

Monday's Day 1 of the 2011 UCI Road World Championships at Copenhagen, Denmark gets underway with the Junior Women Time Trial (13.9km) at 10:00am CET (4:00am U.S. Eastern).  The Under 23 Men Time Trial (35.2km) will start at 1:00pm CET (7:00am U.S. Eastern).  UCI Road World Championships live video streaming should get underway at around 10:00am CET (4:00am U.S. Eastern) for the Junior Women's TT and at around 1:30pm CET (7:30am U.S. Eastern) for the U-23 Men's TT.

PodiumInsight: Bazin and Dombroski Solo to Victory in Vermont.

Local hero Amy Dombroski (Crankbrothers Race Club) and visiting Frenchman Nicolas Bazin (Team Big-Mat Auber 93) won on day 2 of the Green Mountain cyclocross weekend, held at the Catamount Family Center in Williston, Vermont.

Demonstrating the increasing popularity of cycling in China and the continued globalisation of the World Tour, the BMC Racing team will compete on the Asian continent for the first time in the inaugural edition of the Tour of Beijing next month.

It's not everyday a biggish race comes to town and today was extra special: London got both a time trial and a road race.

"The CF8 will only set you back $16,675.00. The beautiful irony is we stumbled across this story on a website called BornRich. (They don’t show these bike on sites called Underfunded or Part-time Freelance Writer.)"

Last week La Gazzetta Dello Sport said Andrei Tchmil is going to run for the top job at cycling’s governing body the UCI. But where is he from, what has he done and where is he going?

Taylor Phinney will be among the outsiders to make the podium for the elite men’s time trial race on Wednesday.The rookie rode to an impressive fifth in the 47km time trial during the Vuelta a España in his grand-tour debut earlier this month, stopping the clock just six seconds slower than three-time world TT champion Fabian Cancelllara. BMC sport director Max Sciandri believes that Phinney could surprise some people on the Copenhagen course ideal for power riders like Phinney.

Riis says he’s steadily building his own team.

For all the talk of electronic shifting at this year’s Interbike, the overwhelming winner was Shimano’s Ultegra group. My media contacts confessed a few weaknesses in the Dura-Ace system (such as the fact that it wasn’t 100 percent waterproof) and stressed that Ultegra Di2 corrected for any perceived issues, even if it was roughly one pound heavier.

With the Remedy being an incredibly capable bike but a little on the lighter side, Trek left a hole for a bigger travel, slacker and tougher cookie. And as nice as the Scratch was, it just didn’t cut the mustard.

Today's Quote

"I landed in Denmark to only find out that I had been replaced. Three hours later in the airport I am on my way home." -  Kristin Armstrong VeloNation

It's OCLV all the way now on its Madone carbon frames.

Weeks have gone by and you are getting slaughtered in the local group ride. You feel more like a pawn than a real player in the game of the gladiators where only an attacking, cunning and ruthless cyclist wins out. You have had enough of that!

“Riding alongside the winner of the Vuelta and winning the team category was the best end to my career that I could have wished for,” he said. “I'm starting a new stage now, even though I don’t know what I’ll be doing.”

Cycling Weekly will be bringing you free online video highlights of some of the biggest races of the year, including comprehensive daily coverage of the 2011 Tour de France.

UCI President talks about delays with Contador’s CAS appeal.

We put the new entry level bike GPS from Garmin through its paces... briefly.

Constructed from both aluminium and carbon, with a claimed frame weight of 2.5kg. Power is provided by a drive system consisting of a front wheel hub motor and a lithium-ion battery hidden within the frame. It will last around 85km on a full charge.

"Being 6’4″ and a man who has paid exorbitant, near blackmail custom bike prices for my entire life, the news was earth-shattering and a financial miracle."

The Rabobank rider had a pin installed in his leg on Sunday night at the Meander Medical Center in Amersfoort in the Netherlands. He will remain in hospital a few days, and must have ten days of absolute rest, before starting rehabilitation.

A tiny robot developed on behalf of Japanese consumer electronics giant Panasonic will next month attempt to complete the Ironman triathlon course in Hawaii – a 3.86-kilometre swim, 180.25-kilometre bike ride and 42.195-kilometre, marathon distance run.

Saturday saw Ryan Roth (Spider Tech & Canada) take victory in the 2012 Univest NRC/UCI 1.2 in Souderton, Pennsylvania. Roth attacked late with Bissell’s Frank Pipp; with the duo joined by Jamis-Sutter Home’s power house, Tom Zirbel – but in the ‘big dipper’ sprint for the line the Canadian was just too quick for his American breakaway companions.

Sidewall protection is accomplished by using a urethane sealant that will protect the sidewalls against abrasion and water damage.

Monday's Day 1 of the 2011 UCI Road World Championships at Copenhagen, Denmark gets underway with the Junior Women Time Trial (13.9km) at 10:00am CET (4:00am U.S. Eastern).  The Under 23 Men Time Trial (35.2km) will start at 1:00pm CET (7:00am U.S. Eastern).  UCI Road World Championships live video streaming should get underway at around 10:00am CET (4:00am U.S. Eastern) for the Junior Women's TT and at around 1:30pm CET (7:30am U.S. Eastern) for the U-23 Men's TT.

Skil-Shimano will ride on Felt frames in 2012 after a reaching a three-year deal with the American bicycle firm. Felt had previously supplied frames to Garmin but their partnership with Skil sees them returning to the professional road ranks after a year away.

Former German champion outpaces the break on the sprinters’ stage; Guarnier becomes the first American to win the pre-Worlds stage race.

McLaughlin and House ride aggressively prior to another one-two for HTC Highroad.

Team Sky's British ITT champion sets fastest time against clock, Rabobank rider keeps lead in GC.

Belgian wins Steenbergcross in debut for Sunweb-Revor.

Shpilevski has Written Records of the Tour of China with Four Wins in a Row. The Tour of China's seventh stage subjected riders to persistent heavy rain and overcast skies. The course covered six laps and 105km in total with riders leaving from Guanghua Rd. By the finish line the stage average speed was a blistering 45.9 km/h.

Sky boss says rival teams 'threw a lot of money' at Froome.

Jayco-2XU may have hoped to have taken the win with star sprinter Ben Kersten in the Goulburn to Sydney Cycle Classic on Sunday, but were left to rue what could have been after a puncture early in the race followed by a long chase, took their toll.

Danish Worlds reserve outsprints Stuart O’Grady.

Jesse Anthony of Kelly Benefit Strategies-OptumHealth was the catalyst for a relentless Univest Grand Prix Doylestown Criterium in Pennsylvania Sunday, winning the race, the sprinters jersey, and the overall weekend title after attacking, staying away for multiple laps, and taking the sprint out of a decimated field.

Race schedule for the world road race championships in Copenhagen from September 19-25.

To have national teams in this era of men's professional road cycling is a bit of an anachronism. It creates an interesting new dynamic at the World Championships compared to the other races we see all season.

While the TT course for the Worlds will be in the city itself, the road race course is actually to the north of Copenhagen in the Rudersdal area, a 30 kilometre ride out of the city.

"Remember a year ago when the conventional wisdom shifted in favor of saying that the Geelong course's two climbs would eliminate the sprinters, only to see most of the races won in a sprint? First it was "Geelong is for sprinters," then "well, maybe not, but Copenhagen is for sprinters." Well... Copenhagen is for sprinters. Really strong ones."

Harder finish could give Belgian victory chances.

The Flanders public appears to be dead set against the course change, but those involved have a more balanced view.

Talented Italian under achiever hoping to reboot career with Pro conti squad.

Today's Quote

"I landed in Denmark to only find out that I had been replaced. Three hours later in the airport I am on my way home." -  Kristin Armstrong VeloNation

Teams up with Garmin's Van Summeren to take Duo Normand.

Tour of Britain could offer perfect platform to maximise publicity.

Robert Gesink (Rabobank) has been taken to hospital in Doetinchem, Holland, after a training ride crash. An early diagnosis indicates that the Dutchman has suffered a fracture to his right leg.

Race leader Boom one of top favourites for time trial.

The group aligns with the rest of SRAM's 10-speed line and offers two 2x10-gearing options, as well as a single triple ring option. The 10-speed transmission can be paired Avid Elixir 1 brakes, which use the manufacturer's TaperBore master cylinder, for the look and feel of a full budget group.

Irishman talks about the importance of the British race.

More success for German Skil-Shimano competitor.

Rolf Aldag is still pondering his future and has revealed that it may be away from cycling. The HTC-Highroad team manager has told Cyclingnews that he would make his decision “in the next few days”.

Ryan Roth (SpiderTech p/b C10) secured a prestigious victory at the UCI 1.2 Univest Grand Prix held in Souderton, Pennsylvania. The Canadian out-paced a late-race three-man breakaway that included Frank Pipp (Bissell) in second and Tom Zirbel (Jamis-Sutter Home), who bridged to Roth and Pipp on the final lap and finished in third.

Megan Guarnier strengthens hold on race lead with third place.

The western Pennsylvania event opens Saturday with a challenging, 100-mile circuit race in and around Souderton. The UCI 1.2 event is the final race on the men’s National Racing Calendar for 2011 — the combined sanctioning is unique and Eustice said he feels it brings European-style racing with strong NRC-chasing fields.

road.cc: Tour of Britain Stage 7 - An Post's Bagdonas wins in Sandringham.

Boom retains the lead before decisive time trial in London.

Andy Schleck has revealed that a lost filling during the Tour de France was the cause of his tooth infection that has disrupted his end of season and cost him his spot at the World Championships.

Boris Shpilevski (Tabriz Petrochemical) was turbocharged and took the stage and Blue Leaders Jersey.

German team NetApp continues to impress at the Tour of Britain, with Leopold König second and Jan Barta seventh behind leader Lars Boom (Rabobank).

Change in rule may not necessarily mean end of CAS action.

Former Lance Armstrong manager says he noticed Andy Schleck’s talent in 2005.

Alex Rasmussen has claimed that the three warnings he received for problems regarding his whereabouts for out of competition doping controls were due to sloppiness on his part and had nothing to do with cheating or doping.

You can't analyze your way around the fact that the Muur isn't going to be there. You can't just delete this scene and say "oh well." Maybe this is just my distant, media-fueled American perspective ("you're not from Brakel"), but in my mind the Muur is too perfect to be replaced.

American heads second-year Rapha-Focus squad.

The former world and national champion has overcome serious career setbacks.

More success for German Skil-Shimano competitor.

Rolf Aldag is still pondering his future and has revealed that it may be away from cycling. The HTC-Highroad team manager has told Cyclingnews that he would make his decision “in the next few days”.

Today's Quote

"I landed in Denmark to only find out that I had been replaced. Three hours later in the airport I am on my way home." -  Kristin Armstrong VeloNation

Kazakhstan rider said team management never visited him after his crash.

“I’m not really sure I won.” That was one of the first things reigning under-23 world cyclo-cross champion Lars Van der Haar said after picking up the victory in CrossVegas, which explains just how close the finish was.

Investigation aiming to discover if EPO or other banned substances were bought.

"Lezyne’s Blox 23 is big, heavy and perhaps over equipped with duplicate bits, such as the Allen key options."

Megan Guarnier takes pink as German is delayed by late mechanical.

road.cc: Tour of Britain Stage 6 - Rabobank's Lars Boom extends lead as he wins in Wells.

Lars Boom (Rabobank) extended his overall lead at the Tour of Britain by winning stage six to Wells and now looks set to win the weeklong race when it ends with a short time trial and criterium stage in London on Sunday.

Geraint Thomas crashes and drops down the general classification.

Stage Fives' weather held for the peloton with breezy and fine conditions on the day. Riders rolled away from the start line on DONGsheng RD and headed straight towards a category two climb with both KOM and sprint points. We're half way through the Tour of China and it was good to see riders staying safe through another stage. Ending in an uphill sprint bunch sprint Boris Shpilevski (Tabriz Petrochemical) took a commanding win to gain more of a grip on the Blue, Sprint Leaders Jersey.

After a year-long decision-making process Clanders Classics, the owner of the Ronde van Vlaanderen, has decided to award the finish of northern Belgium’s biggest one-day race to the city of Oudenaarde. The race, known as ‘Vlaanderens Mooiste’ (Flanders’ most beautiful), has finished in Meerbeke, on the outskirts of Ninove, since 1973 and so the new location will mean an entirely different complexion to the end of the 98-year-old Classic.

Sidi has just introduced three Speedplay specific models to eliminate the adapter plate that’s required to use it on their (and everyone else’s) road shoes. The design should save 62g compared to using those pedals on their regular shoes. It’ll be available on the T.3 triathlon shoe and the Ergo 3 and Genius 6.6 road shoes.

PodiumCafe: Shadowing a soigneur - Life among the Australians in Thüringen Rundfahrt.

"The 2011 season is Liane’s first year with the team.  She’s a trained massage therapist, and had her own business in Townsville, Queensland.  She’d worked on sports events before..."

The former world and national champion has overcome serious career setbacks.

Today's Quote

"I landed in Denmark to only find out that I had been replaced. Three hours later in the airport I am on my way home." -  Kristin Armstrong VeloNation

Vuelta runner-up had been courted by eight teams.

Dutchman speaks about his late-summer race programRead More.

Wouter Poels, just 23, hung close to the top-10 and scored two second places in mountain-top finishes before losing grip on the hilly stage to Bilbao in stage 19. Poels settled into 17th overall in what was a promising performance to complete a grand tour for the first time.

"I can tell you honestly that I regret most of the way I road in my early 20s. What an ass I was, putting myself and others in danger. Disregarding rules. Barking at innocent drivers-by. Self-righteous. Inconsiderate. And proud of it."

Former Team GB pro mechanic Spike Taylor – who now runs Pro Tool School bike mechanic courses – shows you how to change a bottom bracket.

Tucked away in Interbike’s lower hall were some of the show’s neater new products: PowerWheel and SlowWheel.  Inspired by a triathlete’s desire to be able to train with slower riders, the PowerWheel and SlowWheel incorporate centrifugal clutches into dedicated front hubs, which have the effect of adding user-selectable levels of drag between 10 and 45kph (~6-30mph).

National championship bronze left two HTC-Highroad riders ahead of Olympic champion.

Investigation aiming to discover if EPO or other banned substances were bought.

He aims to replace current president Pat McQuaid in the 2012 Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) elections.

Gerard.cc: Rasmussen and the rules.

Dave Moulton: At what point does bicycle friendly become unfriendly?

When one thinks of countries like Germany, Holland or Demark we hold them up as being the epitome of bicycle friendliness. However, in this lengthy article in the German publication Spiegel apparently they have the same cyclist behavioral problems as anywhere else.

"Lezyne’s Blox 23 is big, heavy and perhaps over equipped with duplicate bits, such as the Allen key options."

A late position in the calendar has spelled the end of the Capital Criterium (CapCrit) in Washington, DC, a race which served as the finale for the USA Cycling National Racing Calendar and USA CRITS series. As a result,  Mancebo clinches NRC, Allar wins USA CRITS.

"It was after the Giro when we last spoke to Saxo Bank’s Michael Morkov; just after he helped team mate Alberto Contador to a crushing victory. Since then he’s stood on the podium of his home tour and come very close to a stage win in Colorado."

"We’re taking a look at who we think are the top ten cyclocrossers in the world. Throughout the season we’ll offer weekly power rankings – keeping an eye on who’s peaking and who’s fading."

Defending champion wins third stage to mediaeval city of Volterra.

Cavendish second behind HTC-Highroad teammate.

Victory in 2008 Tour de France marked high point for climber.

Katerina Nash scored a repeat victory at Wednesday evening’s CrossVegas race here, riding solo for most of the race after joining Luna teammate Georgia Gould in an attack on the first lap.

A young Dutchman rode an impressive surge up the finishing straight Wednesday night to earn props from Elvis in a tactical and most dynamic Cross Vegas. Lars Van der Haar (Rabobank-Giant) came from deep in an elite group in the closing 200 meters to nip Rob Peeters (Telenet-Fidea) and Christian Heule (Cannondale-Cyclocrossworld.com) at the line for the win the world’s first C1 event of the season.

Squad believes new frames and new signings will give it an important edge.

‘I knew I had one warning but had forgotten the second one…this was a bombshell’.

Failure to notify team breaches code of conduct.

Today's Quote

"Surprise surprise. No world champs for me. Would like to say I understand but I don't. Guess I need to prove myself?"  -  Mark Renshaw  CyclingWeekly

With the experience of nineteen bicycles in his baggage, Mr. Penn personalizes the globalized product Robert Penn’s “It’s All About the Bike” is a charming book. Mr. Penn is no young racer but a lifelong cycling enthusiast who has ridden around the world, in 40 countries and five continents and one day he decided that the six bikes he currently owns are not enough.

A dose of cycling frugality is always a good thing.

Chris Horner has told Cyclingnews that confirmation that he is one of the confirmed riders for the newly-merged RadioShack-Nissan-Trek is news to him, despite an earlier statement from Johan Bruyneel that he was one of the safe riders.

"The last day’s ride was from Mesquite, Nevada, to Boulder City to the Outdoor Demo."

Rabobank technical director Breukink says rider is uncertain about 2012.

Armstrong will compete on September 24 in the US Xterra Championship at Snowbasin ski resort, an event that begins with a one-mile swim, continues with a 20-mile mountain bike ride and concludes with a six-mile trail run.

Hans-Michael Holczer has returned to cycling as General Manger of Team Katusha. The former Gerolsteiner manager takes the place of Andrei Tchmil, and sees it as his job to promote Russian cycling.

Staging for the Elite women's race begins at 8:00pm PDT with the race scheduled for 8:20pm - 9:00pm PDT. The Elite men's field will begin staging at 9:10pm PDT with the race taking place from 9:30pm - 10:30pm PDT.

World champion Thor Hushovd (Garmin-Cervelo) showed off his rainbow jersey at the Tour of Britain, winning stage four from Welshpool to Caerphilly after being part of a key selection after the late climb of Caerphilly Mountain.

Belgian wins atop the Citadel de Namur for second time in career.

Wednesday's Grand Prix de Wallonie departs Chaudfontaine at 11:55am CET (5:55am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Namur at around 5:00pm CET (11:00am U.S. Eastern).  Grand Prix de Wallonie live video streaming should get underway at around *2:20pm CET (8:20am U.S. Eastern).  *RTBF coverage is scheduled to begin at this time.  Some feeds are announced at 2:30pm CET or 2:45pm CET.

After the longest stage of the Tour Boris Shpilevski (Tabriz Petrochemical) took a vicious win and took the Blue Sprinters Leaders jersey. For the longest stage of the Tour the riders were in a hurry. Average Speed: . . . .46.33km/h.

Rabobank Giant Offroad’s newest member will begin her season at the first US Grand Prix of Cyclo-cross (USGP) New Belgium Cup on October 8-9 in Fort Collins followed by a season focused on the US National Championships, Gazet van Antwerpen (GvA) Trophee, UCI World Cup series and the World Championships.

After years of racing both road and cross seasons, the 34-year old rider put the road aside to focus on cyclocross with the Louisville 2013 World Cyclocross Championships looming ahead.

German champion reverses 2010 result, beating World champion Giorgia Bronzini in close sprint.

Jeannie Longo has announced she will not take part in the UCI Road World Championships in Copenhagen next week after becoming embroiled in two investigations: one caused by her missing three out of competition anti-doping tests and the other concerning accusations that her husband and coach Patrice bought EPO from China via the Internet.

"Like a sports team playing in their home stadium, national federations can give favourable support to their riders. The FFC’s top figures are providing excuses for Longo."

Today's Quote

"Surprise surprise. No world champs for me. Would like to say I understand but I don't. Guess I need to prove myself?"  -  Mark Renshaw  CyclingWeekly

A dose of cycling frugality is always a good thing.

Slow healing from tooth operation causes problems.

Ben is joined by Alex Dowsett to talk about stage 3 of the race and Geraint Thomas' nan's welsh cakes.

When he came to Québec, Belgian National Champion Philippe Gilbert (Omerga Pharma Lotto) was on the hunt for six UCI points in order to re-claim the top of the WorldTour standings. Simply said Gilbert wants to be number one.

Carlos Sastre has confirmed that he will leave the Geox-TMC team at the end of the season and will reveal his plans for 2012 at a press conference in Madrid on Thursday.

Juanjo Cobo (Geox-TMC) says he hopes that his victory in the Vuelta a España will erase doubts associated with his reputation dating back to the scandal-plagued 2008 Tour de France. During that ill-fated Tour, Cobo was teammates with Riccardo Ricco and Leonardo Piepoli, two riders who tested positive for CERA and forced the humiliating exit of the Saunier Duval team.

Italian “tired of being misunderstood”, vows to continue professional career.

Saxo Bank-SunGard has denied media rumors that it is planning a merger with Team Astana in 2012.The team is putting together its plans for the 2012 season, and they do not involve a merger, a team spokesman said.

“I think working with Johan will be beneficial for the Schleck brothers. Johan is a good strategist and we’ll have to see how the course will be for the next Tour, but Johan knows how to prepare the team for whatever type of race we’ll be facing. Especially if there is a team time trial, that will be an advantage for Andy to be on this team now."

If you're looking for a new bike, you go on the internet or browse the glossy mags- but where do you go if you're looking for the best up and coming young riders for your pro team ? The Baby Giro, the Tour de l'Avenir in France - and, the Giro ciclisto internazionale Valle d'Aosta in Italy. For the pro talent scouts and agents it's one of the big shop windows.

Todd Wells is on the ground in Las Vegas, fresh off his seventh-place ride at cross-country worlds and credited his powerful Specialized squad for his best-ever worlds result. Wells told Singletrack that he would not defend his national cyclocross championship in January, but instead focus on La Ruta, the Cape Epic and the 2012 Olympics.

In the pursuit match done on a mini-velodrome with BMX bikes, cyclocross legends Tim Johnson and Jeremy Powers duked it out at high noon in a two-out-of-three match. Pre-race, the two contenders held a press conference (see picture) and weighed in: both racers were 162 pounds.

Backcountry.com's newest online website CompetitiveCyclist.com will take over as the new title sponsor of the US-based RealCyclist.com Pro Cycling team beginning in the 2012 season. The second-year UCI Continental outfit's roster will remain largely unchanged and the team will again focus on top-level stage races across North America.

Thirteen second beating of Russian National Team puts Judith Arndt into first pink jersey.

Rabobank rider takes the race lead from Cavendish.

Jang Sun Jae (Korea National Team) showed some powerful sprinting form to cross the line first with a time of 2:37:07. Alexander Serov (Russia National Team) didn't quite have the speed in his legs to pass the Korean and would have to settle for second, and Christer Rake (Joker Merida) rolled through third.

The American cyclocross circuit has always been second fiddle to the European racing scene. While major American cyclocross talents have certainly developed and there is a burgeoning and promising American professional racing scene, Americans – particularly American men, who have fared worse against their European counterparts than American women – have had limited success racing in Europe.

It's a bitter-sweet moment for women's cycling - the final chance for riders to grab some glory for their teams, the final time some riders will be team-mates - and, if rumours are to be believed, the final time we'll see some teams at all (cross fingers that's all nonsense).

Today's Quote

"Surprise surprise. No world champs for me. Would like to say I understand but I don't. Guess I need to prove myself?"  -  Mark Renshaw  CyclingWeekly

Could Renshaw perhaps, maybe, be capable of winning the World Championships for himself? Is that a worry for GreenEDGE? Would we want to chance the jersey being worn by a Rabobank rider? With Renshaw’s exclusion, Gossy is the only one named on Australia’s World Champs roster who is realistically capable of winning if the finish comes down to a bunch kick. Has the team been picked to ensure that a GreenEDGE rider is the undisputed leader of the team?

Team Metromint came to the Sacramento GP with a strategy on Saturday. Their strategy all along was to protect their sprinter Mary Ellen Ash and she delivered. Ash was able to out sprint Nikki Wangsgard (Primal-MapMyRide), who finished second and third place finisher Starla Teddergreen (Vanderkitten-Focus).

This is one neat helmet. The compact size and rounded shape make it good for those that find themselves overpowered by more extreme profiles.

Eddie O'Dea broke his own Trans North Georgia (TNGA) record earlier this month. The Topeak-Ergon rider set out for 350 miles and 56,000 feet of climbing with 22 others on September 3 under blue skies and 60 degree (Fahrenheit) temperatures, but the highs for the day would be in the upper 90s.

Carlos Sastre has confirmed that he will leave the Geox-TMC team at the end of the season and will reveal his plans for 2012 at a press conference in Madrid on Thursday.

Juanjo Cobo (Geox-TMC) says he hopes that his victory in the Vuelta a España will erase doubts associated with his reputation dating back to the scandal-plagued 2008 Tour de France. During that ill-fated Tour, Cobo was teammates with Riccardo Ricco and Leonardo Piepoli, two riders who tested positive for CERA and forced the humiliating exit of the Saunier Duval team.

They’ll do 17 laps and by the last three laps I suspect the bunch will be thinned down. As much as everyone says this is a course for sprinters, it is clearly hillier than Zolder, perhaps the last true Worlds finish for sprinters in 2002. The course could suit the likes of Philippe Gilbert and Robert Gesink.

Philippe Gilbert maybe the world's number one ranked rider after dominating the classics and totally 17 victories but he inisisted he is not one of the favourites for the upcoming World Championships in Copenhagen.

Astana leader building form for possible ride in Lombardy.

Triple Tour winner to receive 25th Anniversary presentation.

I went into this ride thinking of it as just a fun trip with a few big days thrown in; I really wasn’t comparing it to doing a stage race. My, how things can change.

Scotland doesn’t get too many world cycling champions – so when John Paul won the World junior sprint championship, it was something special.

Yes it’s expensive, but this lightweight mid-size pump challenges the supremacy of frame-fitting pumps in its performance. The head screws on securely to Presta or Schrader valves, the 60cm hose makes the pump convenient to use and the hose screws securely into the base when not in use.

It's official: next year's road bikes will be stiffer, lighter, comfier, slipperier, and electronic-ier than ever before.

A Colombian rider has again won the overall Tour de l'Avenir. One year after his teammate and countryman Nairo Quintana, Johan Chaves of Colombia es Pasion took control of the general classification on Sunday's last stage in Alba, Italy, beating Canadian rider David Boily by some 17 seconds.

Two Brits on Grand Tour podium for first time.

The agreement that will join the RadioShack and Leopard-Trek cycling teams at the hip, a bit of macro-surgery that has set the sport on its ear, isn't so much a merger as a splicing together of two organizations. It's still early, but last week the seams were showing.

L’Equipe prints emails suggesting he purchased EPO.

Improved to a large double-sided 16×27in format, the 2012 Cyclepassion Calendar is a must-have for every cycling enthusiast. Its models are French Marion Rousse and Pauline Ferrand Prevot, German Hanna Klein, Polish Maja Wloszczowska, Swedish Veronica Andreasson, American Liz Hatch, and Australian Katherine O’Shea.

"I grew up in Germany, where all bikes had fenders, lights and racks. When I was ten years old, I got a bike that was the envy of my friends: a Peugeot “Semi-Racer” with derailleurs, 10 speeds and drop handlebars."

The construction is the same as their three-piece rim, except that the rim bed is alloy. The big benefit of this design over full carbon clinchers that it resists heat-induced expansion, the bane of many full carbon clinchers. And you can run them tubeless because the rim bed is completely sealed.

"My team in New Jersey was like family. We trained together, we raced together, we celebrated together, we grieved together, some of us lived together. We are a tight bunch."

It’s been three years since Speedplay showed the first Syzr prototypes and Speedplay’s Richard Bryne is a firm advocate of the ‘no wine before its time’ school of product design, a refreshing change from ‘our customers are our beta testers’ attitude that sometimes manifests in the bike industry.

Despite the recent turmoil surrounding its business, Canadian component company Race Face is not only managing to soldier on but has still found the resources to introduce some solid-looking new product for 2012 – along with the promise of a much harder hitting collection for 2013 now things are stable again.

Trek may be late to the game of cyclo-cross bikes but the 2012 Cronus CX has been worth the wait.

Juan Jose Cobo had a fantastic Vuelta a Espana and enjoyed the bubbly and big grand tour victory in Madrid. Hats off, a slew of chapeaus, enjoy the salary bump. You’ve earned it all, Bison-man.

"We have taken the difficult decision to cancel today's stage of The Tour of Britain for safety reasons," the organisers said on their twitter feed. "There will be a procession through Kendal at around 11am for riders and teams. We are still working on other plans, so please bear with us."

Team Metromint came to the Sacramento GP with a strategy on Saturday. Their strategy all along was to protect their sprinter Mary Ellen Ash and she delivered. Ash was able to out sprint Nikki Wangsgard (Primal-MapMyRide), who finished second and third place finisher Starla Teddergreen (Vanderkitten-Focus).

The first weekend of racing is over, and racers on the East Coast are feeling extremely tired after an incredibly muddy first weekend of cyclocross racing.

Italian sprinter looks set for big future.

The junior Tour de France? There's no such thing! No, but in Canada every year there's the equivalent for juniors - the Tour d'Abitibi. If we tell you that recent winners include Taylor Phinney, David Veilleux and Tyler Farrar that'll give you an idea of the quality of riders who contest it. And in the past Steve Bauer, Laurent Jalabert, Bobby Julich and Andy Hampsten have all 'passed this way.' This year it was New Zealand's James Oram who took the jersey on stage one and defended it successfully to the end.

"Well, cyclocross season has begun, and I can tell by my sore adductors, hip flexors, and tibialis muscles from throwing my leg over the saddle and running. With so many people subjecting themselves to this bodily abuse, new bikes, tires and forks are appearing to satisfy their urges and requirements for the 2011-2012 season."

Meanwhile triple stage winner Peter Sagan targets Tour de France and Olympics next year.

A Colombian rider has again won the overall Tour de l'Avenir. One year after his teammate and countryman Nairo Quintana, Johan Chaves of Colombia es Pasion took control of the general classification on Sunday's last stage in Alba, Italy, beating Canadian rider David Boily by some 17 seconds.

Two Brits on Grand Tour podium for first time.

Today's Quote

"Surprise surprise. No world champs for me. Would like to say I understand but I don't. Guess I need to prove myself?"  -  Mark Renshaw  CyclingWeekly

Luke Durbridge (Jayco-AIS) has sent an early warning to his U/23 road world championships rivals, putting in a dominant ride at the Chrono Champenois in France overnight to take victory in a course record time.

It's typical that on a day Britain secured its best ever results in a Grand Tour, the armchair critics get their knives out to dissect the Woome.

Weighing in at a teeny 73g and measuring just 75mm long, Topeak’s new Mini 9 Carbon Pro could be the perfect tool for sticking in your back pocket in case of emergencies on the trail.

The UCI Cyclocross calendar got underway this weekend with the Mid-Atlantic Series’ traditional season opener, the Nittany Lion, held at the grounds of the Lehigh Valley Velodrome in Pennsylvania. It’s usually the purview of fast-twitch trackies, but for one weekend in September, cyclocrossers cavort on the grounds.

Specialized’s super light Tarmac S-Works has dominated the climbing stages of the Tour de France since it appeared. The SL3 uses the same shape in a slightly downgraded material, but proves it’s got morale-boosting moral fibre when the roads get mountainous.

"At Eurobike earlier this month, Giordana, maker of fine cycling apparel and importer of DMT, Eddy Merckx and Pinarello, took me on a short tour of what’s new for 2012. Most of what I saw will be on display again this week in Las Vegas for U.S. retailers to consider."

Rui Faria da Costa (Movistar) was able to hold off a charging field that included Gilbert to take the win at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal. The young Portuguese rider broke away from the field on the final lap along with Pierrick Fedrigo (FDJ) and Stefan Denifl (Leopard-Trek).

Imagine waking up tomorrow only to find that the job you were contracted to do for the next year and half has disappeared.  Not just that, but all of the sacrifices you have made to make that job - your dream - a reality are now rendered useless.

Two big names missing from teams for Copenhagen.

Omega Pharma-Lotto takes the lead; Belgium closes on Spain with no points for Vuelta winner.

Mark Cavendish's number one lead-out man, Mark Renshaw will miss the 2011 road World Championships. Australia left him out of its nine-man selection that it announced on Monday.

As the former editor in chief of VeloNews, Delaney spent many years covering bicycle technology and professional racing around the globe.

German rider has multiple breaks in his forefinger; operation needed.

Ah … the day after the World Championships. The day for relaxing, bag packing, reminiscing and the shouldas, the couldas and the wouldas.

MOTOREX USA Launches YouTube Channel – One-Stop Source for Bike Maintenance Tips.

The US division of the Swiss lubricant and chemical company – has launched a comprehensive YouTube Channel that hosts a dozen videos detailing important bicycle maintenance tips, including how to lube a chain, how and when to use lithium grease, the secrets of carbon assembly lube, how to make you bike shine, and more...

Fi’zi:k has a new line of Kurve saddles use an entirely new construction method. After three years of development they are finally ready for unveiling.

The racing was exciting, the course was challenging, there was lots of competition. What's not to love about it?

Meanwhile triple stage winner Peter Sagan targets Tour de France and Olympics next year.

Stage Two of the Tour of China offered our riders another lovely day of persistent, heavy rain. To add to that, the temperature dropped to a wine-cooler-like 18° celcius. The tough conditions made the win by Adrian Gjølberg (Joker Merida) even sweeter as he crossed the line in a time of 4:11:35 to take the yellow leaders jersey from Rico Rodgers (Giant Kenda Pro Cycling Team).

road.cc: Vuelta Stage 21 Results.

Sunday's Vuelta a Espana Stage 21 departs Circuito del Jarama at 2:45pm CET (8:45am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Madrid at around 5:40pm CET (11:40am U.S. Eastern). Vuelta live video streaming should get underway at around 4:00pm CET (10:00am U.S. Eastern).

Jesse Anthony has announced that after the Gran Prix of Gloucester races this year, he will be retiring from cyclocross to pursue road racing as his primary sport. After the summer he’s had, we can’t say that we blame him, as he’s had some amazing finishes and wins, including a stellar Tour of California performance and claiming the Nature Valley overall.

British cycling stars Mark Cavendish, Geraint Thomas and Roger Hammond gave a pre-race press conference on Saturday ahead of the start of this year's Tour of Britain, which starts today in Peebles, Scotland.

Nancy LaRocque is the Specialized employee who organized this ride. She handled an incredible array of logistics, right down to getting everyone to the start. We rode together today, learning just how small the world is; turns out she and I were at UMASS Amherst at the same time.

Rui Faria da Costa (Movistar) was able to hold off a charging field that included Gilbert to take the win at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal. The young Portuguese rider broke away from the field on the final lap along with Pierrick Fedrigo (FDJ) and Stefan Denifl (Leopard-Trek).

Rui Alberto Faria da Costa (Movistar) out-paced a late-race breakaway of three to secure the victory at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal on Sunday.

Sunday's Grand Prix de Montreal starts at 11:00am EDT (17:00 CET) and is expected to finish at around 4:15pm EDT.  GP de Montreal live video streaming should get underway at around 12:15pm EDT (18:15 CET).  *This is the scheduled start time for Eurosport.

The Belgian Champion and number one UCI WorldTour ranked rider in the world showed great form and determination when he launch an onslaught of attacks on the final lap in Québec that no one could match.

The first thing everyone notices about the bike is the absolutely vast square section downtube. Seriously, the thing isn't far off a shoebox in terms of cross section and even the big tapered head tube looks dwarfed in comparison.

"Well-fitting, fog-free sunnies with changeable lenses at a great price."

Today's Quote

“Taken together, all of it [Leopard Radio Shack merger] paints a picture of an extremely haphazard merger. There’s been zero communication with riders and staff (or sponsors, for that matter); there doesn’t appear to be agreement on who will run what aspects of the team; and quite honestly I’m not even sure that they’ve thought about the roster implications."  -  Joe Lindsey  Boulder Report

The racing was exciting, the course was challenging, there was lots of competition. What's not to love about it?

The merging of WorldTour teams RadioShack and Leopard Trek has left directeur sportif Alain Gallopin unsure of where he will end up during the 2012 season. The Frenchman hopes to re-sign with the new program having been a part of nine stage race victories with RadioShack this year.

Peter Sagan (Liquigas-Cannondale) proved he is a huge sprinting talent and a true world championship contender by taking his third stage victory at this year's Vuelta a España in Madrid.

Mark Cavendish got straight back to winning form in his first race back after exiting the Vuelta a Espana. The HTC-Highroad sprinter dominated the sprint in the opening stage of the Tour of Britain, coming in ahead of lead-out man Mark Renshaw with Theo Bos (Rabobank) taking third.

After a seventy three kilometer final stage at the Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche on Saturday, Emilia Fahlin took her fourth win of the race, and the fifth win for the team all together.

RadioShack's Robert Hunter has confirmed that he will return to his former Garmin-Cervélo team having signed a two-year contract that will expire at the end of the 2013 season. The South African says he and American sprinter Tyler Farrar have mutually agreed to work together during the sprints next year.

Chris Froome (Team Sky) was able to laugh about how he mistook the 20km banner for the last intermediate sprint during stage 20 of the Vuelta a España to Vitoria.

Nicolas Roche was finally satisfied with his Vuelta a España after finishing with the GC contenders at the end of the tough stage to Bilbao on Friday. He was also in the break of the day on Saturday to Vitoria and seems to have found some continuity and form after suffering earlier in the Vuelta.

Saturday's Vuelta a Espana Stage 20 departs Bilbao at 12:40pm CET (6:40am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Vitoria at around 5:40pm CET (11:40am U.S. Eastern). Vuelta live video streaming should get underway at around 4:00pm CET (10:00am U.S. Eastern).

The first stage was supposed to be hot and sunny but rain took the pleasant weathers place. 10 laps of 12.9km was the order of the day with riders negotiating a flat but breezy course around the ancient city of Xi'an. In the final mass sprint Rodgers (Giant Kenda Pro Cycling Team) took the win after a super fast stage with an average speed of 49.137Km/h.

Canada’s David Boily clings on to the race lead after a tough stage across the Jura Mountains.

Geox-TMC rides out what could be the final punches from classification rival Chris Froome.

There's no denying it's been a terrific race, but the Vuelta's penultimate stage underlined just how much the race has been whittled down to its last dregs.

Success for Katusha team, McEwen misses out on sixth win.

Saturday's Paris-Brussels departs Soissons at 11:20am CET (5:20am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish in Brussels at around 4:34pm CET (10:34am U.S. Eastern).  Paris-Brussels live video streaming should get underway at around 2:30pm CET (8:30am U.S. Eastern).

Here is the second batch of fruit from the collaboration between wheel manufacturer Enve and expert aero dynamist Simon Smart, of Smart Aero Technology.

It was a great day in Québec yesterday. The crowd was even bigger than last year, the sun was out and we had a great day of racing to top that. It's great to have those races in a land where cycling is only starting to get some public attention.

Despite being newcomers to the World Tour, today’s Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec and Sunday’s Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal bring exciting parcours, enthusiastic fans, and world-class contenders. Last year’s races were won by virtue of not only strength but also tactical savvy.

Maxime Monfort’s great performance so far through this Vuelta a España is being overshadowed by the surprise announcement that his Leopard-Trek squad will merge with RadioShack next season.

Dutch champion beats sprint rivals once more on penultimate stage.

Says racing in China offers teams sponsorship benefits.

Sprinter expects victories to be hard to come by next season.

"They told me where we were. I could see it on a map. It still didn’t help. It was the most nowhere I’ve been in a while. We seemed to be the only tourists passing through. Hard to say why; it’s beautiful country."

Today's Quote

“Taken together, all of it [Leopard Radio Shack merger] paints a picture of an extremely haphazard merger. There’s been zero communication with riders and staff (or sponsors, for that matter); there doesn’t appear to be agreement on who will run what aspects of the team; and quite honestly I’m not even sure that they’ve thought about the roster implications."  -  Joe Lindsey  Boulder Report

David Veilleux (Europcar) received gracious applause from his hometown fans at the start of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec on Friday. He was the third-placed Canadian on the day, finishing 22nd behind his fellow countrymen Michael Barry (Sky Pro Cycling) and Dominique Rollin (FDJ).

22-year-old beats Trixi Worrack in breakaway allowed by Nederland Bloeit team.

Some of the people interviewed said they viewed cycling as unusual and weird. Asked why they were reluctant to ride, they cited factors such as arriving sweaty to morning meetings and having squashed hair from wearing a cycle helmet. Some even said they felt like second class citizens in comparison to those in motor vehicles.

Canada’s David Boily clings on to the race lead after a tough stage across the Jura Mountains.

Geox-TMC rides out what could be the final punches from classification rival Chris Froome.

Friday's Vuelta a Espana Stage 19 departs Noja at 1:30pm CET (7:30am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Bilbao at around 5:40pm CET (11:40am U.S. Eastern). Vuelta live video streaming should get underway at around 4:00pm CET (10:00am U.S. Eastern).

Team Sky manager Dave Brailsford has told Cyclingnews he will not bow to outside pressure and finalise a new contract with Chris Froome during the Vuelta a España so that negotiations do not affect the Kenyan-born Briton's performance in the final stages of the race.

American team re-signs top talent.

Mario Aerts is set to become a directeur sportif at the newly-formed Lotto-Ridley team next season. The 36-year-old Belgian is currently riding for Omega Pharma-Lotto and will retire from racing at the end of the current campaign.

The plated metal belt was awarded to J.W Lamb who rode over 1015 miles, at the six-day London Bicycle Contest in May 1892.

Janel Holcomb (San Diego, Calif./Colavita-Forno d'Asolo) has clinched the women's individual title on the 2011 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar (NRC).

It is officially here though folks: ’cross season’s big kick-off tomorrow. So with that being said, where are the pros going this weekend and what are they up to if not racing? Jeremy Powers, Adam Myerson, Tom Van Den Bosche, Ian Field, Bryan Fawley, Luke and Jesse Keough, Justin Lindine and Weston Schempf are all lining up for the men at the 6th Annual Nittany Cross.

Speedplay Syzr Mountain Bike pedals.

Well engineered, medically proven female specific saddle offering good support to the sit bones, but a little over firm at the nose for me. A touch on the heavy side too.

Despite being newcomers to the World Tour, today’s Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec and Sunday’s Grand Prix Cycliste de Montreal bring exciting parcours, enthusiastic fans, and world-class contenders. Last year’s races were won by virtue of not only strength but also tactical savvy.

Friday's Grand Prix de Quebec starts at 11:00am EDT (17:00 CET) and is expected to finish at around 4:15pm EDT.  GP de Quebec live video streaming should get underway at around 12:30pm EDT (18:30 CET).  *This is the scheduled start time for Eurosport.

Maxime Monfort’s great performance so far through this Vuelta a España is being overshadowed by the surprise announcement that his Leopard-Trek squad will merge with RadioShack next season.

Today's Quote

“Taken together, all of it [Leopard Radio Shack merger] paints a picture of an extremely haphazard merger. There’s been zero communication with riders and staff (or sponsors, for that matter); there doesn’t appear to be agreement on who will run what aspects of the team; and quite honestly I’m not even sure that they’ve thought about the roster implications."  -  Joe Lindsey  Boulder Report

"Even though I didn’t finish today’s ride (more on that in a sec) it was an exceptionally hard day. One of the hardest I’ve had this year."

The Tour de France is such a big event that you’d think cycling is a big sport in France. Perhaps but it’s a long way from other sports. Here’s a scan across the airwaves, news stands and servers.

The world's top teams will participate in the Tour of Beijing after the UCI agreed to postpone the implementation of a complete ban on race radios until the end of 2012.

The USA Cycling National Development Program is contesting the Tour de l'Avenir (U23), Holland Ladies Tour (women) and just finished the G.P. Rüebliland (juniors) in Europe. With the first two events just heating up, USA Cycling's contingents are within striking distance of the top of the general classification.

Discs or Cantis? Cross bikes at the crossroads for 2012 while manufacturers make up their minds.

A recent trend among car companies has been the 'launch' of electric bikes. These often just seem to be marketing tools to sell cars, with pictures of concept bikes appearing in the press but no rideable version ever emerging. So we didn't hold our breath when Smart unveiled their take on the e-bike last year.

22-year-old beats Trixi Worrack in breakaway allowed by Nederland Bloeit team.

Some of the people interviewed said they viewed cycling as unusual and weird. Asked why they were reluctant to ride, they cited factors such as arriving sweaty to morning meetings and having squashed hair from wearing a cycle helmet. Some even said they felt like second class citizens in comparison to those in motor vehicles.

Jeannie Longo may have ridden her last professional bike race, after the French Cycling Federation (FFC) announced its intention to start a disciplinary procedure for twice giving insufficient whereabouts information and once missing a doping control earlier in the year.

Suggestions former US pro may have supplied banned products to French star.

Frenchwoman’s world championship participation threatened, could face long ban.

Jens Voigt has extended his contract with Leopard-Trek for one more season, according to a team statement issued today. The agreement means that Voigt will join the roster of the newly named RadioShack-Nissan team. Voigt turns 40 next week.

Charly Wegelius is a domestique, a reliable all-rounder who can climb and time-trial enough to offer solid support in stage races.  He bids adieu to the peloton without an individual win, but he was part of several TTT stage victories in his career and has some nice results of his own, including third in a mountain stage at Asturias earlier this year.

I try to remain realistic and honest about cyclists. They are my people. It’s true. But it’s also true that some of them (us) behave badly.

"Santa Cruz has created a new 29er XC bike for 2012 called Highball, which is a cross country cocktail of race-ready hardtail design and lightweight carbon. Constructed to offer maximum efficiency, this full-on race machine features a curved seat tube and short chainstays."

"De Rosa, the third of Italy's big glamour brands, showed off not one, but three new bikes for 2012 and gave road.cc a first look at their prototype 2013 TT frame."

Final climb breaks the peloton into pieces as David Boily holds the race lead.

CyclingNews: Morkov wins Sprint Challenge Pro.

The 2011 Grand Prix of Quebec and Montreal are this week (Quebec on Friday, Montreal on Sunday) with a new event, the Challenge Sprint Pro, being held today, Thursday. Live streaming video: 4:00pm EDT (22:00 CET).

Despite being without one of its fastest members, the US elite women's cross country national team still put in a strong performance at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships last weekend in Champery, Switzerland. Willow Koerber, who has won bronze medals at Worlds the past two years, was absent because she is pregant with her first child. While the American women didn't make it to the podium this time, the future looks bright based on the performance of the four women who made the top 20.

The eighth edition of the UCI 2.1 Tour of Britain, beginning September 11 looms large with many riders using the event as a final tune-up prior to the Road World Championships in Copenhagen. The eight day, nine stage event is the largest of its kind in Britain with a parcours stretching from Peebles in the Scottish Borders, to Welshpool and on to London where the Tour will reach its conclusion over an individual time trial and circuit race.

Bradley Wiggins (Team Sky) has bounced back from two difficult days at the Vuelta a España and seems ready to race hard all the way to Madrid to defend his third place and possible help teammate Chris Froome try to topple race leader Juan Jose Cobo (Geox-TMC).

Thursday's Vuelta a Espana Stage 18 departs Solares at 1:10pm CET (7:10am U.S. Eastern) and is expected at the finish at Noja at around 5:40pm CET (11:40am U.S. Eastern). Vuelta live video streaming should get underway at around *4:00pm CET (10:00am U.S. Eastern). *Eurosport's coverage is scheduled to start at around this time. We may have a feed from a non-English broadcaster well before then but no guarantees.

Winner of the inaugural race in Montreal last year, and third in Québec, Robert Gesink (Rabobank) is back and highly motivated do well this year.

"A truly comfortable and cosseting perch, with true craftsmanship."

It's the must-have component of the year; all the pros are at it.

Loes Gunnewijk scored her first victory of the season in stage 3 of the Profile Ladies Tour with a daring solo attack on a rainy, cobbled 115km stage in Breda.

As Sergio Paulinho (RadioShack) stopped to take a drink after crossing the Vuelta a Espana finish line in Noja, stage 18 winner Francesco Gavazzi (Lampre-ISD) came back the other way, heading to the podium to collect the cheers, the flowers and the kisses from the podium girls.

After a relatively straightforward Vuelta a Espana stage on Thursday, Juan Jose Cobo (Geox) has revealed that he expects a major attack by Sky's two overall contenders, Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins at Friday's tricky finish in Bilbao.

CXMagazine: Ben Swift Talks Off-Season And Cyclocross.

Ben Swif talks about the amazing career he’s developed at the young age of 23. As it turns out, his most fun road race was in Flanders, so he’s practically a cyclocross racer already … and he thinks cyclocross is a great off-season workout. Will we be seeing him getting muddy this winter?

The 2011-2012 US cross season will see a bevy of new changes across the board. Several riders, including Jeremy Powers and Ryan Trebon, have changed teams. The UCI schedule in the US has changed drastically and as a result, new series have popped up and others have disappeared. Not to mention, the US schedule has been extended by a month with Nationals moving to January. With all the changes, it promises to be an exciting and challenging season for everyone.

New Australian team continues to gain pace.

The final installment in our Domestique Cyclocross Season Preview is our pre-season Power Ranking. From here on out, Pavé will rank racers on the domestic circuit each week, tracking the rise and fall of top pros’ fitness and race  prospects.

Despite being overseas racing the Holland Ladies Tour with USA Cycling's National Development Program, Janel Holcomb (San Diego, Calif./Colavita-Forno d'Asolo) has clinched the women's individual title on the 2011 USA Cycling National Racing Calendar (NRC). The men's individual title remains up for grabs with two events remaining.

Frenchwoman’s world championship participation threatened, could face long ban.

"The big question -- maybe the biggest question in the history of Competitive Cyclist -- is why did we agree to an acquisition by Backcountry.com? Since we owe nearly all of our success to you, our customers, I'll endeavor to explain."

Members of Lance Armstrong’s team were punished for wearing unsanctioned uniforms bearing the number 28, in reference to the 28 million people affected by cancer around the world every year.

Brian Nygaard has refused to respond to criticism of his time at Leopard Trek, noting that he was virtually fired, and that he was not responsible for searching for a sponsor for the team.

Belgian says full roster to be confirmed within one week.

Today's Quote

“Taken together, all of it [Leopard Radio Shack merger] paints a picture of an extremely haphazard merger. There’s been zero communication with riders and staff (or sponsors, for that matter); there doesn’t appear to be agreement on who will run what aspects of the team; and quite honestly I’m not even sure that they’ve thought about the roster implications."  -  Joe Lindsey  Boulder Report

Before Hoogerland.

Now that's a very green bike but it certainly attracted our attention.

Emilia Fahlin of HTC-Highroad won her second short time trial in the space of a week, when she clocked the fastest time over the 3.5 kilometers of today's split stage at the Tour de l'Ardèche.